Our Team

Chief Commercial Officer - New York

Yovanka joined in Holtara in May 2024, having previously served as Head of Sustainability at TimesSquare Capital. Her 25-year career in financial services spans buy and sell side roles in credit and equity analysis, as well executive leadership positions within the ESG data provider space. She is a graduate of Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, and has held roles at Morgan Stanley and ISS, Inc. In addition to her role at Holtara, Yovanka is a member of the Latin Corporate Directors Association, and a sustainability advisor to VTernal, a sustainable cloud computing solution.

Director - Madrid

Maria joined us following the acquisition of MJ Hudson by Apex Group in 2023, and has over 10 years' experience in debt. She received degrees from ESSEC Business School, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, and an MBAA from ESCP Business School. Maria has previously held positions at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Attalea Partners.

Managing Director – London

Andy has over 20 years’ experience in the financial markets sector and notably ran global distribution in the sustainable investments division of Deutsche Asset Management. Having joined our parent company, Apex Group, in September 2019, and co-founding the ESG team, Andy has specific responsibility for driving strategic ESG development.

Director - The Netherlands

Daan has a background in banking and sustainable finance with Rabobank and ABN AMRO and has also been an ESG partner at a Big4 consultancy. He finds it crucial to spend his working hours on something he can truly believe in and has thus chosen a career in sustainability. For two decades, Daan has had the pleasure of servicing financial sector and private equity clients and leading teams on sustainability strategy, reporting and screening, policy and risk management, and sustainable business development. He has also set up an impact investing fund and delved deeply into topics including climate and biodiversity. Furthermore, he serves as an impact committee member of a venture capital fund.

Apex ESG Product Manager, UK

Josh joined Apex Group, our parent company, in December 2019, to lead ESG product development. Previously he advised governments and international financial institutions on issues related to climate change and sustainable development. Josh holds a BA from Cambridge in PPS and an MSc from SOAS in Environmental Economics.

Principal - India

Narendra joined us in 2020, bringing over 16 years of expertise in the financial services sector, particularly in Private Equity. His accomplished career includes roles at AXA, Deutsche Bank, and 3i Group plc, in collaboration with Infosys Consulting. Narendra is a CFA charter holder and qualified MBA.

Principal – The Netherlands

Marieke joined us following the acquisition of MJ Hudson by Apex Group in 2023. Prior to leading the New York team, she was a fellow at Spring Associates. Marieke received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utrecht University in Economics.

Platform Lead – The Netherlands

Sebastiaan joined the team in 2017 and is one of the founders of Holtara’s platform, which he has been developing since 2019. In 2015, he provided strategic policy advice to the European Commission on the areas of green economy, renewable energy, and technological innovation through IDEA Consult in Brussels. He holds both a BSc and MSc degree (both cum laude) in Complex Systems Engineering and Management from the Delft University of Technology.

Carbon & Climate Lead – The Netherlands

Tom joined us in 2017 and leads our carbon and climate advisory practice, where we support corporates and private equity firms in strategic projects regarding carbon, climate, and the energy transition, including greenhouse gas footprint assessments, net-zero roadmaps, and climate risk assessments. Tom is also actively involved in establishing biodiversity-related impact projects in the private sector. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Applied Physics from the Delft University of Technology.

Principal – The Netherlands

Pieter joined usfollowing the acquisition of MJ Hudson by Apex Group in 2023. He received his bachelor’s degree from Universiteit College Utrecht and master’s degrees from the University of Amsterdam (International Relations) and Utrecht University (Economics). Pieter previously worked in strategy consulting with A.T. Kearney.

CEO ESG Advantage – The Netherlands

Hicham joined us following the acquisition of MJ Hudson by Apex Group in 2023 where he was the CEO of ESG Advantage. Hicham holds an engineering degree from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers and a master’s in applied physics from Chalmers University of Technology.

Principal - Madrid

Cristian is a lawyer with 10+ years' experience in financial law. He focusses on compliance and international legal frameworks, as well as business development, with expertise in regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.

Principal - UK

Alessandro has worked in strategic climate advisory for 15 years and specialises in sustainable finance. Prior to joining Holtara, he was with McKinsey where he led the team in developing sustainability frameworks and strategies for banks and other financial institutions. Alessandro has worked across industry and consulting and covered sustainable finance themes from a broad range of perspectives. These include developing blended finance programmes in Latin America as well as designing green bond frameworks for major global investors.

ESG Advantage – The Netherlands

Jurjan joined us following the acquisition of MJ Hudson by Apex Group in 2023. Prior to MJ Hudson, he spent three years at Google and a period as the Head of Operations at Pumpkin Organics. Jurjan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Groningen and his master’s degree from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University.

Manager - The Netherlands

Kumail leads the advisory ESG due diligence practice, delivering timely advisory analyses of our client’s targets, risk reduction strategy, business resilience, and value creation potential in both pre-and post-deal engagements. Kumail delivers impactful strategies, policy formulation, and analyses for our international clients in asset management, private equity, and corporate spaces. Diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) is a focus area that’s close to Kumail’s heart. He is also a member of the Holtara DEI strategy group and co-lead in the Netherlands. Kumail has deep knowledge of industrial processes in manufacturing and the energy generation sector, complimented by his studies and Ph.D. research in greenhouse gas control and carbon capture.

Manager - The Netherlands

Karin is driven by her curiosity and enthusiasm for analytic and pragmatic solutions and works with investors and companies on sustainability strategies, growth strategies, and ESG baseline assessments and reporting. During her tenure, she has seen and worked with companies across various industries, ranging from oil and gas producers, manufacturers of heavy machinery, and software companies, to publishers of educational books. Karin has also ventured into developing hydrogen carbon models, financial models, and fund proposition strategies.

Manager - The Netherlands

Puk has comprehensive international experience in the financial services industry and ESG space. She primarily leads projects and oversees offerings related to the private credit asset class, while also supporting our clients with equity strategies. Before joining us, Puk held various strategy and business development roles in insurance and banking, and received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Utrecht University, focusing on public-private partnerships.

Manager - The Netherlands

Gert-Jan van de Poll is a seasoned professional in strategy, sustainability, and financial consulting. Holding dual MSc degrees in economics and finance, with a specialisation in energy and sustainability, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his role. As a manager in the solutions team, Gert-Jan focuses on designing comprehensive, end-to-end solutions delivered through our platform, delivery, and advisory teams. Additionally, he leads the Holtara CSRD team, where he drives the creation of innovative solutions and provides dedicated client support.

Manager - New York

Zach joined Holtara in 2023, having previously been a Manager in the Advisory team at Morningstar Sustainalytics. He has over ten years of experience in consulting and sustainability. Zach also serves on Holtara’s DEI Committee as Americas Lead. He is a graduate of the Cornell Johnson School of Business (MBA), The New School (MS, Environmental Policy) and Davidson College (BA).