Rabobank announced new hires on its renewable energy team to help fuel the bank’s broader growth and sustainability strategy in North America.

Building on its 20-year track record in renewable energy, primarily focused on project finance, Rabobank is expanding the team to include new senior bankers and its first RaboResearch analysts dedicated to the energy transition movement. These recent personnel moves are part of a larger effort to expand the number of energy transition specialists across all of the bank’s business lines, with 30 professionals at the bank now focused on the energy transition.

“We are creating a center of excellence exclusively focused on financing the energy transition,” Greg Hutton, head of project finance and energy transition strategy in North America at Rabobank, said. “Accelerating the shift toward cleaner energy sources around the world is a critical component of our growth strategy. Armed with a deeper lineup of experienced bankers and analysts dedicated to clean energy, as well as robust efforts to expand our client base and offer a wider range of products, we look to become one of the most dominant players in the energy transition field in the next five years.”

Among the new banking hires, Joshua Dale, managing director and head of energy transition coverage for North America, is a 20-year veteran in financial services with 14 years of experience in project finance. In addition, Jon Castaldo was hired as managing director of energy transition coverage for North America, has more than 20 years of experience across corporate finance, structured credit, real assets, project finance and tax equity. These bankers will focus on providing financing options and developing new products for companies in the renewable energy value chain, existing Rabobank clients and the broader sustainability sector.

In research, Nina Fahy was hired as executive director and senior energy transition analyst for RaboResearch. Fahy has 15 years of experience leading research and analytics teams focused on energy markets in North America. In addition, Amit Mathrani was hired as energy transition specialist for RaboResearch. Mathrani has eight years of experience in management consulting for large utility companies, where he created roadmaps for an affordable clean energy transition. Together, they will provide research on the energy transition and share their sector knowledge with Rabobank clients, including assessing the impact of public policy and technology on the speed and scope of the transition.

The launch of our new energy transition team fortifies the foundation Rabobank has built in the renewables sector in North America over the last two decades, as the company was named a top 10 lender in renewable energy globally by Bloomberg in 2022. It has also financed 27 gigawatts across wind, solar, battery storage, geothermal, energy efficiency, fuel cells and waste-to-energy sectors and been regularly earned a top 10 ESG risk rating from Morningstar Sustainalytics, currently ranking ninth out of 348 diversified banks.

“We specialize in financing critical economic, environmental and societal transitions — from food to energy — that will help create a more sustainable future,” David Bassett, head of Rabobank Wholesale Banking North America, said. “And, in North America, our strategy is clear: to grow the companies that feed and power the world.”