Professional and socially engaged… These are the words we use to describe ourselves at Lendahand. We are a diverse team with experience in business, banking, consulting and working in the non-profit sector. Please allow us to introduce ourselves!
Management Team
Our Management consists of three executives who are responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and day to day operations of the company. Our CEO & COO are also both Co-founders who have been with Lendahand since the beginning. Their experience spans across Banking, Corporate Finance, and International Aid & Development, allowing us to be a social enterprise that puts impact first while still pursuing a sustainable and profitable business model.
Koen The
CEO & Co-founderA self-proclaimed “reformed banker,” Koen is a former Executive Director at Goldman Sachs and Assistant VP at Barclays Capital, now putting his extensive financial knowledge and background to work fighting poverty as the CEO of Lendahand. A proud alumnus of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam with a degree in Econometrics and an MBA from Cal Berkeley, Koen has overseen the growth of Lendahand from a small team of 4 employees to a buzzing group of 20. Our CEO is committed to helping Lendahand fulfill its potential as the world’s leading crowdfunding platform for impact investing.
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Peter Stolze
COO & Co-founderThe person making sure Lendahand always keeps impact at the forefront of our focus, Peter is a former Manager of Corporate Strategy at T-Mobile and Manager of Microfinance at Cordaid. He is our COO and is dedicated to helping Lendahand maintain operational excellence throughout his various responsibilities. Proud alumnus of Erasmus University & Radboud University Nijmegen, Peter lives in Rotterdam with his family, where he is an avid footballer and enthusiastic Feyenoord supporter.
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Daniël van Maanen
CFOMaking sure Lendahand’s numbers add up is Daniel. His background ranges from Portfolio Manager at APG Asset Management to CFO of Aircrete Europe, an international technology company in the construction sector. He joined our team in December of 2019 as CFO with the desire to make social impact a central focus of his career. Graduate of the University of Tilburg, Daniel lives in Utrecht, with his family.
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Team
Judith Mathijssen
Impact ManagerJudith is the freelancer who never left. With a background in consultancy for social and financial conclusion and healthcare access in developing countries, she is our guidance in executing our impact framework.
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Timo Bleeker
Head of DevelopmentOur newest addition to our Development team comes all the way from New Zealand. Dutch born Timo moved to Christchurch, New Zealand for his Master’s Degree. There he found a reason to stay a little longer, which resulted in a marriage and staying for 8 years before moving back last year since they couldn’t live without stroopwafels and hagelslag any longer. Timo also enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and coffee.
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Anshul Jindal
Head of InvestmentsLeading the investments team to excellence is Anshul. He brings 14 years of experience in impact investments to the team, having worked at Oikocredit, responsAbility, and Rabobank. His passion for high-impact investments in emerging markets got him to travel to more than 20 countries for work. After being torn between Delhi and Mumbai for his whole life, his family decided to move to the Netherlands in early 2020 to pursue new career opportunities. If you’re looking to connect with this avid networker, you can probably coax him into a game of badminton.
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Lynn Hamerlinck
Growth CoordinatorAs our Growth Coordinator, Lynn creates content to inspire and inform our investors about Lendahand. She has a background in journalism and communication, has a Flemish accent, and lived in Brazil for two years. When this happy camper is unreachable, she’s probably on the water.
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Willianne van der Weijde
Legal & Compliance OfficerWillianne is as native and local to Rotterdam as can be. As a part of our Legal Team, she works towards her goal to create equal opportunities and inclusion in the impact sector. Before joining Lendahand, Willianne worked at People’s Pension - a micro pension company in Ghana - and SNAP Solutions, where she introduced a savings product to coffee farmers in Rwanda. She loves structure and having everything under control, all of which is possible provided there is coffee.
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Vinicius Manjabosco
Data Engineer & Data AnalystVini (short for Vinícius) is one of our data specialsts. He’s originally from Brazil and very tech-savvy; he learned to program when he was only 11 years old and initially studied game development. Vini likes to try out new sports, such as frisbee and windsurf.
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Jan Metten Van der Meer
Sr. Software EngineerJan Metten brings many years of experience in software development to Lendahand, 8 of which he worked in the USA. He enjoys nature; especially watching and photographing birds. You can find him doing this while hiking, kayaking or even running. Jan Metten also enjoys making chocolates, yum yum!
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Charles Te
Junior Portfolio ManagerFrom Paris to Barcelona to… Amsterdam. This Frenchie is going places, on his skateboard. Charles is determined to make an impact wherever he goes. He has studied Finance at ESADE business school in Barcelona. He also comes with some impact investing experience from the Netri Foundation and highly recommends intermittent fasting to engage in deep work.
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Xavier Vega
Software EngineerXavi (short for Xavier) swapped the Costa Rican rainforest for the Rotterdam urban jungle. He grew up with more cats in the house than socially accepted, 25 cats to be precise. Xavi lives as a minimalist, except when it comes to gadgets. If you want to learn how to code, Xavi is your guy, as he loves teaching others his passion. Further, Xavi enjoys learning new languages and even learned Polish when he lived in Poland. Now, he will take on the challenge of learning Dutch!
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Clarisse Grosset
Growth DesignerClarisse, our designer, creates all of our visual content. From new web pages to infographics, if you follow Lendahand, you’re likely familiar with her work. This française is a mastermind in making beautiful illustrations out of original ideas. Clarisse moved to the Netherlands especially to work for Lendahand.
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Lily Zhou
Growth StrategistAfter working at Mindshare and Unilever, Lily wanted to use her experience in media and marketing for a cause closer to her heart. In the Growth Team, she does a little bit of everything, taking strategic plans to execution. After earning her Master’s Degree at Erasmus University, she found her home in Rotterdam. As opposed to (almost) everybody else in the office, Lily doesn’t drink coffee, which is a bit ironic considering our office location.
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Lucas Weaver
Head of GrowthThe only American in the office, Lucas is our Head of Growth and therefore oversees all things marketing. He studied Business Administration and History at Texas A&M University and spends his free time hosting podcasts, going to the gym, gardening, or trying some strange new craze, such as mushroom coffee.
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Thomas Plaatsman
Investment ManagerNicknamed the “Friendly Face of Investments,” Thomas is a Portfolio Manager on the Investments Team. He studied Econometrics at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and is passionate about learning and providing equal opportunities. One of his favorite hobbies is reading, therefore Thomas is quite knowledgeable about various topics. He lived in Ecuador for two years and is fluent in Spanish.
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Jorge Vilar
Catalyst & Knowledge ManagementAs part of our Catalyst and Knowledge Team, Jorge is responsible for problem-solving in daily activities. He has a heart for solar energy projects and is originally from Portugal. Our only certified Apple Genius, Jorge also used to do comic strips and even short animation videos before working at Lendahand.
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Adriaan Schiphorst
Data OfficerThe data officer who’s always up for a challenge. Adriaan went to the California Institute of Technology to learn about experimental physics and joined Lendahand in 2020. Apart from hosting fun work activities, he spends most of the day puzzling with data, investments, and technology.
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Pietro Galardi
Investment AnalystPart of the Investments Team, Pietro’s always working hard to bring people together: he hosts activities for the team such as The Walking Challenge and is always ready for a debate on important topics. Pietro is Italian and studied at Saint Gallen University in Switzerland and Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden. He also spent brief periods abroad in Thailand and Mexico before joining Lendahand.
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Eke Leertouwer
Office Manager & Customer SupportThe person ensuring that everything runs smoothly at the office is our Operational and Office Manager, Eke. Her creative spirit and happy energy bring many lovely and thoughtful surprises. Eke lived and worked in the UK and Spain for a few years, and even though she’s warm-hearted, she swims in the North Sea every week to feel refreshed - even in winter!
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Irena Vieira
Operations ManagerRounding up the Catalyst and Knowledge Team is Irena from Cape Verde. As an Operations and Financial Admin manager, she contributes to our operational excellence ambition and assists our CFO. She earned her stripes in the banking industry, working for both Rabobank and ING bank. Irena is the first Lendahand Walking Challenge champion, with a record of over 40.000 steps in one day!
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