Lissy Smit returns to Rabobank as global head of sustainability for wholesale and rural businesses.
Lissy Smit, the former CEO of aquaculture investment fund Aqua-Spark, has rejoined Rabobank Group as global head of sustainability for the bank’s wholesale and rural businesses, including its food system transition team.
Smit announced her appointment in a LinkedIn post, highlighting the importance of large corporates and institutional investors in driving systemic change in global food systems. She previously held the position of head of credit approval at Rabobank before joining Aqua-Spark, where she served as CEO until stepping down in June 2024 after almost two years in the role.
“After spending the past three years in the impact investing space, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the critical role that large corporates and institutional players must play in transforming our global food systems,” Smit wrote. “Real, lasting change requires scale—and that means working closely with all actors shaping our agricultural and food landscapes.”
Smit said Rabobank’s cooperative structure and position as one of the world’s largest food and agriculture lenders gives it a unique role in supporting customers and partners through the food system transition.
Rabobank, based in the Netherlands, is one of the world’s largest cooperative banks and a leading financier of the global food and agribusiness sectors.