Lendahand chief executive to step down

Ethical investment platform Lendahand’s co-founder and chief executive Koen The is stepping down from his role after ten years to hand the reins to chief product and technology officer Arno Hoogenhuizen.

Hoogenhuizen joined Lendahand in February 2023 to lead the product and development team, after spending six years at FedEx. Since joining the platform he led the launch of the automatic investing functionality. He will focus on optimising the platform and its technology. Under his leadership, Lendahand is aiming to invest €1bn (£853m) over the next decade.

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In a post on the firm’s website The said that he thinks it is time for new leadership, after growing the business to become a major player in the Dutch crowdfunding market. Since its founding in 2013, Lendahand invested more than €180m in projects in developing countries, with the platform expecting to reach €200m by the end of the year.

The launched Lendahand alongside co-founders Peter Stolze and Peter Heijen.

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“We started Lendahand from a hotel lobby in Maarssen, with little money but with a strong desire to fight poverty,” he commented.

“Together with our investors, we have made a positive impact on the lives of over a million people. We have given entrepreneurs in developing countries the opportunity to grow and in doing so, Lendahand itself has grown. I am convinced that Lendahand can become the impact investment platform of Europe.”

In 2022, ABN Ambro Sustainable Impact fund took a stake in Lendahand, which then acquired French platform Babyloan, expanding its operations.

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