Rabobank, a global food and agribusiness bank, named Terryn Lawrence chief sustainability officer for North America.

Lawrence has more than a decade of executive experience and recently served as managing director, leading key partnerships at Persefoni, a carbon management software platform that enables financial institutions and corporations to measure, manage and report their carbon emissions. Early in her career, Lawrence worked for an American member-owned agricultural cooperative. Since then, she has built and scaled several ESG-focused technology startups, including one of her own, and has worked with many large financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.

In the newly created role at Rabobank, Lawrence will focus on working across the food value chain on products and businesses like regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and greener innovations. Her department will develop a North American sustainability strategy and objectives in alignment with Rabobank’s global ambition to integrate sustainable solutions that are good for customers, society and the world. Lawrence will report to Shawn Smeins, head of rural in North America at Rabobank, and will drive the execution of sustainability initiatives across Rabobank’s rural and corporate and investment banking businesses.

“This role is vital as opportunities arise in the food and agricultural and energy space, and will continue to position Rabobank North America as a premier financial services provider focused on the region’s agriculture industry,” Smeins said. “Terryn brings a wealth of experience in leading cross-functional initiatives and has an extensive track record of developing sustainability-related commercial opportunities to drive new growth for customers.”

As the chief sustainability officer, North America, Lawrence will build and lead a cross-functional sustainability community within the North American region across Rabobank. In addition, she will collaborate closely with the global Rabo Carbon Bank and Food System Transition teams to accelerate sustainable food production with climate-smart initiatives that reduce emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

“I am excited to support our commitment to advancing the food value chain by providing sustainable business solutions that produce more while using fewer natural resources to feed the growing global population,” Lawrence said. “I look forward to applying my experience and passion for sustainable innovation and environmental stewardship with business development to make an impact and bring value to our clients and communities.”