With client demand growing, the Dutch wealth manager has created a new C-suite position to drive sustainable investing with impact.

Amsterdam-listed wealth manager Van Lanschot Kempen has named Lars Dijkstra as chief sustainability officer. The position, which has been newly created to head up the firm’s sustainability agenda, will be a direct report to the chairman of the management board.

Dijkstra (pictured), who has been chief investment officer at the group since 2005, was made head of core investment strategies at the beginning of the year. Erik van Houwelingen, chair of Kempen Capital Management’s management board, will take over Dijkstra’s current duties.

Externally, Dijkstra is also treasurer at the Dutch members' forum Eumedion which represents institutional investors on corporate governance and sustainability issues. He is also part of The 300 Club, an investor group created 10 years ago to shift the industry away from a "beat the benchmark" mindset to counselling investors on achieving real-world goals.

“Lars’ many years of experience in the financial markets and his extensive knowledge of sustainability and corporate responsibility make him eminently suited to help drive Van Lanschot Kempen’s mission to be a leading sustainable European wealth manager,” chair Karl Guha said.

The firm offers private banking, asset management and merchant banking services, and is the Netherlands’ oldest independent financial services group, with a history dating back to 1737.

“We’ve been working together with our clients, our internal and external fund managers as well as our investees for years to generate both financial returns and sustainable impact. I’m determined to leverage Van Lanschot Kempen’s influence to achieve sustainable change across the value chain, taking responsibility for both our own footprint and that of our clients’ investments,” Dijkstra said.

Nearly a third of new clients are opting for the firm's sustainable investment proposition, where AuM has risen by €3 billion in the last year, accounting for 27 per cent of total discretionary management, according to its end-of-year reporting.

The group, which manages around €100 billion (£85 billion) for clients, added a further €2 billion by purchasing independent asset manager Hof Hoorneman Bankiers at the start of the year. In 2017, it struck a €28 million deal to buy UBS’ domestic wealth management business in the Netherlands, netting €2.6 billion in assets and new client business.