The Investment Banking team
THE TEAM
Triodos has a dedicated team of experienced Investment Banking professionals. Read on for short biographies of the team members, and how get in touch with them.
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 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.
James has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Energy Saving Trust’s Innovation Programme; a member of the Finance Working Group of the government’s Renewables Advisory Board; and a member of the Investment Committee on Triodos Renewables Fund (Europe). He has been a non-executive director of The Carbon Neutral Company (carbon offset solutions), Connective Energy and Organic Farm Foods (organic fresh produce distributors in the UK). James lives in Bristol.
Matthew focuses on Triodos Renewables plc, investing equity in a range of renewable energy projects and developments. Prior to joining Triodos in February 2006, Matthew played an instrumental role in the establishment and operation of Camco International, working with companies globally to transform environmental liabilities into financial assets, within the Kyoto Framework. As a Carbon Asset Developer he identified, structured and secured carbon financing transactions for sustainable energy projects in Eastern Europe and Southern and Eastern Africa including Bulgaria’s first Joint Implementation project.
Before Camco Matthew worked for Energy for Sustainable Development with responsibilities for business development and project management in Eastern Europe, concentrating on tradable mechanism and sustainable energy.
Matthew previously worked for TXU, initially in the corporate strategy team, then moving to TXU’s European Energy Trading headquarters in Geneva. In his risk management capacity he has worked on the European electricity trading books and undertaken investment analysis in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. He has extensive experience of the global carbon markets, the liberalising European energy markets, trading energy related products and energy sector investments and analysis. Matthew lives in Bath.
Contact: 0117 980 9765 or matthew.clayton@triodos.co.uk.
Whitni invests equity capital in growing social and environmental businesses for Triodos’ venture capital funds. Since joining Triodos Bank in 2006, she has made investments in Barefoot Botanicals, a natural skincare business, and Historic Futures, a supply chain traceability business.
Whitni worked in investment banking at JP Morgan for six years in New York and London, structuring leveraged finance for management buy-outs. She arranged senior debt, mezzanine and high yield debt for private equity clients for over 15 transactions in wide ranging sectors such as pub chains, paper manufacturing and automotive parts.
Whitni was Head of Access to Finance at the New Economics Foundation where she led the think tank’s research and consultancy work on improving access to finance for financially excluded individuals as well as social businesses. Whitni worked in Mexico for a year helping to run a microcredit programme. She has authored a number of papers on financial exclusion, access to finance for social businesses and finance for fair trade.
Whitni has a BSc in Business and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics. Whitni is a director of Barefoot Botanicals Ltd, a trustee of the Friends Provident Foundation and a judge for the Ashden Awards for sustainable energy.
Contact: 07748 386 662 or whitni.thomas@triodos.co.uk.
Gareth Zahir-Bill, Investment Manager (Venture Capital)
Gareth joined the Investment Banking team in 2006 and focuses on venture capital investments in social businesses. In June 2007 Gareth made an investment in Marine Current Turbines Ltd, a business developing power generation from tidal streams.
Before moving to the Investment Banking team, Gareth worked for Triodos in Business Banking specialising in lending to fair trade, organic and other ethical trading businesses. In this capacity, Gareth was the relationship manager for 60 clients and arranged 36 loans totalling approximately £9million, enabling them to meet wide ranging needs including start-up costs, working capital facilities, property purchases and developments and business acquisitions.
Prior to joining Triodos Bank, Gareth worked for eight years in commercial and corporate finance for mainstream banks, specialising in providing senior debt facilities to retail and property businesses.
Gareth is a graduate of the MBA in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Nottingham, where he researched the barriers to growing ethical and social businesses. Gareth is a non-executive director of Marine Current Turbines Ltd and Organic Farm Foods Ltd.
Contact: 0117 980 9781 or gareth.zahir-bill@triodos.co.uk.
Alex joined Triodos in April 2007 to focus on distribution and marketing of the full range of social and environmental investment offerings managed by the Investment Banking team.
Prior to joining Triodos, Alex worked for 9 years as an equity analyst for UBS Warburg and Indosuez WI Carr in both London and the Far East, analysing listed companies from a diverse range of sectors - including property, energy, consumers and telecoms. Alex dealt with a global institutional investor base on a daily basis and took on responsibility for account managing some key clients.
More recently Alex spent two and a half years in the fundraising team at Comic Relief responsible for raising funds from the corporate sector. She has also undertaken voluntary work for the Wildlife and Countryside Link, which brings together environmental voluntary organisations in the UK to work to effect change. Alex lives in London.
Contact: 0117 980 9632, 07789 220 963 or alex.connor@triodos.co.uk.
Jo joined Triodos in August 2006 to project manage the Future of Finance Report and the London launch of the newly expanded Investment Banking team. She is now involved with marketing and research for the team.
Prior to Triodos, Jo spent 5 years working as a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) equity analyst for both Henderson Investors and Morley Fund Management where she participated in setting up a new SRI capability and the launch of 6 new SRI funds. She instigated the SRI investor statement on foreign direct investment in Burma. This was the first time UK SRI investors, representing funds of over £400billion, jointly engaged on issues relevant to long-term shareholder value. Jo has also worked in conservation, for Tusk Force, and founded a solar ovens project in Northern Madagascar.
Contact: 0117 980 9635 or jo.johnston@triodos.co.uk.
Monika Paplaczyk - Fund Administrator, Triodos Renewables
Monika has recently joined Triodos Renewabes as Fund Administrator. Monika provides support to the Triodos Renewables team. This includes managing Triodos Renewables shareholders, organising the AGM and management of operations insurance for the Triodos Renewables portfolio. Previously she worked as consultant for Euro Access Business Consultancy where she was mainly involved in preparing business plans and grant applications for investment projects such as community development projects, biofuels and grain storage.
Contact: 0117 980 9744 or monika.paplaczyk@triodos.co.uk.
- Triodos Opportunities Fund
- A new opportunity for investors who really want to support up and coming small and medium sized businesses in the environmental and social sectors. This investment is restricted to experienced private investors classified as having intermediate customer status. The minimum investment is £30,000.
- The Real Food Pub Company
- The Real Food Pub Company is raising funds to develop food-orientated pubs focused on locally produced, organic and seasonal produce. Triodos Bank is sponsoring this EIS investment, which has a £5,000 minimum.