People at Triodos
Triodos Bank could not achieve its mission without the whole-hearted support, effort and commitment of all its co-workers. It will only be able to make a name for itself as a pioneering force in sustainable banking if its co-workers continue to be able to identify with, and make a real contribution towards, the Bank’s mission. To this end, our co-workers are not only very closely involved in the development of new products and services for customers but also in the financial, social and environmental performance of Triodos Bank itself.
See below for brief profiles about members of Triodos Bank’s management team.
Peter Blom, CEO & Chairman of the Board of Management, Triodos Bank Group
After studying Economics, and helping to run one of the first organic food centres in the Netherlands, Peter Blom joined Triodos in 1980, the year we first opened for business. Having been with us since the start, he was appointed Managing Director in 1989, and has been CEO since 1997. He is Chair of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values and also a member of the Board of the Dutch Banking Association. He maintains his interest in food and farming, chairing the Organic Food and Agricultural Council of the Netherlands.
Charles Middleton, Managing Director, Triodos Bank UK
Charles joined Triodos Bank in 2003 as Managing Director of the UK business, bringing with him 21 years’ banking experience of which 11 were spent overseas in India, Africa and the Caribbean. Moving to Triodos provided a great opportunity for Charles to combine his banking expertise with his desire to make a difference to people and the environment.
Since joining Triodos Charles’ leadership has helped generate significant growth in the core business of mobilising depositors’savings to support a range of social and environmental projects, growing lending from around £60m to more than £250m. Charles has also helped Triodos to bring other types of finance to the UK market, such as capital raising for fair trade coffee brand, Cafedirect, and launching Triodos Renewables, which has pioneered an increasing number of investment opportunities in the growing UK renewable energy sector.
Charles is also Chair of the Haller Foundation, a charity supporting people and the environment in Kenya and continues to indulge his passion for photography by raising funds to support street children projects in Mumbai
Judy Rose, Head of Operations
Judy Rose is Triodos Bank's Head of Operations, with responsibility for customer services, large project implementation and ICT support. Judy has more than 20 years' experience as a project manager and developer in the financial sector, including several years with the Woolwich Building Society, and holds an MSc in Information Systems. Judy first started working for Triodos' forerunner in the UK, Mercury Provident, in 1993, and after a few years of freelance work returned to the bank in 2006.
Kit Beazley, Head of Finance
Kit joined the bank in 2008 with 16 years’ experience in the financial services industry. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, where he continued to work for two years as a management consultant focusing on management information systems. He then moved into financial services, spending ten years with Chartered Trust, the UK consumer finance subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank. His roles included planning, treasury, finance and finally Head of Strategy, and he moved to Lloyds TSB to work in the Asset Finance Division when the company was sold to them. A move to Zurich Financial Services, where he worked in capital management and finance roles across the UK businesses, added insurance to his banking experience. He then moved to Stroud and Swindon Building Society where he worked as Finance Director for two years, before joining Triodos. Working at Triodos means Kit feels his work is now much better aligned with his long-standing support for organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Tree Aid and Sustrans.
Bevis Watts, Head of Business Banking
Dr Bevis Watts is Triodos Bank’s Head of Business Banking, with responsibility for all lending activities. Prior to joining Triodos, Bevis was Head of Business Support at The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) with responsibility for delivering a range of support services to developing businesses in the UK recycling sector, including bespoke finance schemes. Bevis has over ten years’ experience in the environment and economic development sectors. He is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management and a Fellow of the RSA.
Sarah King, Head of Human Resources
Sarah King is Triodos Bank’s Head of Human Resources with responsibility for all HR activities in the UK. Sarah has fifteen years’ experience in Human Resource Management within charitable, public and private organisations. Sarah first started working for Triodos Bank in 2002 and left in 2004 to re-join us again in 2010. Sarah’s recent experience is predominantly change projects within large financial services organisations; AXA, RSA (Royal and Sun Alliance) and Capita. Sarah is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
James Vacarro, Managing Director, Investment Banking UK
James has worked for Triodos since 1998 and is a specialist in environmental and social finance. He heads the Investment Banking team, is Managing Director for Triodos Renewables plc, investing equity in a range of renewable energy projects, and manages a portfolio of venture capital investments. During his tenure at Triodos, he has advised on public share issues for companies including the Ethical Property Company and Cafédirect; managed project finance facilities for renewable energy projects in the UK; set up the UK’s first ethical business angels service, Triodos Match; and managed investments into microfinance institutions in Asia and Africa.