Whilst the Netherlands has slipped down the Global Gender Gap Index for the second year in a row, fifty women in the financial sector are proving that things can be different. WIFS (Women in Financial Services) announced the Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance 2026 today at Achmea in Zeist. Nominees are women who contribute to making the financial sector more sustainable.
The Top 50 includes, amongst others, Aartie Hoeblal (Director of Fiduciary Execution, MN), Petri Hofsté (non-executive director at ING, FrieslandCampina and Pon Holdings, a.o.) and Wendy Winkelhuijzen (member of the executive board at Van Lanschot Kempen). The selection was made from over 160 nominations. The expert jury, chaired by Jellie Banga (Chief Business Officer, Invest-NL), includes Lars Dijkstra, Maarten Edixhoven, Nicolette Loonen, Cindy van Oorschot, Faisal Setoe and Stephan Veen and is supported by WIFS board member Lievijne Neuteboom.
The Top 50 highlights the breadth of sustainable finance's impact. Nominees featured in the list have positions at banks, insurance companies, pension funds and asset managers, as well as at De Nederlandsche Bank, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the European Investment Bank, Milieudefensie, WWF, impact funds and universities. Through initiatives such as the Top 50 and the Allyship Awards WIFS aims to highlight that diverse, inclusive and balanced leadership is both necessary and effective in accelerating social and sustainable transitions.
“This Top 50 demonstrates that sustainable progress and inclusive leadership go together. The women who are recognised today combine expertise, vision and impact. They show how the financial sector can be a force for positive change. I hope their stories will inspire others to follow in their footsteps.” according to chair of the jury Jellie Banga.
Talent is flowing in, but not through
The financial sector is still a long way from closing the gender gap. Across 57 countries, 47.8 per cent of entry-level employees in the financial services sector are women. In the C-suite, that figure drops to 22.3 per cent, according to figures from the World Economic Forum. This decline is slightly steeper than the average across all sectors. The biggest drop occurs at the transition to top management: there, the proportion of women falls by almost a quarter.
"For an industry that manages the assets, pensions and risks of a country where half the population are women, that is a blind spot. Those who decide on products, risks and capital effectively determine who benefits from them in practice. There is plenty of talent coming in; it’s just not moving up through the ranks. You don’t achieve 50/50 with a target set for twenty years’ time, but through appointment decisions. It’s time to pick up the pace." according to Chantal Korteweg, WIFS.
In addition to the launch of the Top 50, the programme featured a keynote speech by Irene Heemskerk (Head of the Climate Change Centre, European Central Bank) and a leadership dialogue between Bianca Tetteroo (Chair of the Executive Board, Achmea) and Lidwien Suur (Member of the Executive Board, Achmea). In addition, Daphne de Kluis (Member of the Executive Board, Achmea) and Maureen Schlejen (Chair of Achmea Investment Management) discussed sustainable finance. The afternoon was moderated by Chantal Korteweg (Chair of WIFS) and Willem Vosmer (Board Member of WIFS).
WIFS congratulates all nominees and invites the sector to share their achievements. The full list can be found at www.wifs.nl
