Oikocredit makes interim changes to its Managing Board
July 20 | 2021 Oikocredit will make two interim changes to its Managing Board while the cooperative continues its search for a new Managing Director.
Mirjam ‘t Lam, currently Director of Finance & Risk, will be appointed as Oikocredit’s Interim Managing Director, and Wilma Straatman, currently Interim Global HR Manager, will take on the role of Interim Director of People & Change.
The appointments are in light of the announcements earlier this year of the departures of Managing Director Thos Gieskes on 1 October and Director of People & Change Petra Lens on 1 September.
The changes will be effective as of 1 August. This allows the outgoing MB members to hand over their duties to the interim replacements before the outgoing MB members and interim replacements go on holiday. These changes are expected to last until Oikocredit finds a new Managing Director.
Mirjam will hold the Interim Managing Director position in addition to her current role as Director of Finance & Risk and will continue to oversee Oikocredit’s department of Integrated Reporting & Control.
Mirjam joined Oikocredit in November 2020 and has a strong background in impact investing, including the board-level and cooperative governance experience required for the Managing Director position.
Joseph Patterson, Chair of Oikocredit’s Supervisory Board, said: “We congratulate Mirjam and Wilma on their interim appointments, which are fully supported by Oikocredit’s Supervisory Board and Managing Board, and we thank them for their ongoing dedication to Oikocredit. The interim appointments create a well-equipped and stable leadership structure for the cooperative that will remain in place until we find our new Managing Director.”
Mirjam said: “I look forward to bringing my knowledge and expertise to the role of Interim Managing Director in support of the cooperative’s mission. Oikocredit’s work and the work of its partners is incredibly important, especially as people and economies across the world move forward from the coronavirus. Together with the rest of the Managing Board, I look forward to charting a steady course for Oikocredit during this interim period.”
