While the Netherlands dropped a staggering 15 places on the Global Gender Gap Index this year, WIFS (Women in Financial Services) is spotlighting women who are making progress. During a festive event at a.s.r. in Utrecht today, WIFS presented the Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance 2025: fifty female leaders who are making a measurable contribution to the sustainability of the financial sector with their vision and decisiveness. 
Among the nominees are names such as Maureen Schlejen (Achmea Investment Management), Justina Alders-Sheya (Triodos Bank) and Machtelt Groothuis (Rubio Impact Ventures). The selection was made from 165 nominations, including 108 unique candidates. The expert jury, led by Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen, consists of Jellie Banga, Lars Dijkstra, Maarten Edixhoven, Nicolette Loonen, Cindy van Oorschot, Faisal Setoe and Stephan Veen.
“The women in the Top 50 demonstrate what is possible when you combine vision with decisiveness. They excel, set the tone and pave the way for even more sustainable leadership,” said jury chair Soeteman-Reijnen.
A broad spectrum of leaders in urgent times
The Top 50 reflects the diversity of the sector: from banks to pension funds, from scale-ups to NGOs and from consultancies to insurers. What unites them is their visible and impactful commitment to making the financial sector future-proof. This is more important than ever. The fact that the Netherlands has fallen significantly in the Global Gender Gap Index shows that progress cannot be taken for granted. With initiatives such as the Top 50, WIFS wants to show that diverse, inclusive and balanced leadership is necessary to maintain and accelerate social and sustainable transitions.
In addition to the launch of the Top 50, the programme included a keynote speech by Jacqueline van den Ende (CEO Carbon Equity) and a sustainable finance panel featuring Raquel Criado Larrea (a.s.r.), Chantal Schrijver (EIB Group), Faisal Setoe (HDI Global SE) and Martine Koridon-Rommen (MN).
WIFS congratulates all nominees and invites the sector to showcase their achievements. The complete Top 50 can be found here.
