ABN AMRO Focuses on Energy, Commodities & Transportation

ABN AMRO has strengthened its Sector Origination capabilities for Energy, Commodities & Transportation (ECT) clients, in order to further build its dedicated advisory services for cross border and event driven corporate activity in these sectors. 

The bank has recruited Jeroen Westrik for a new role Head of ECT Sector Origination from RBS in London, where he was Head of Energy and Resources in the Corporate Advisory team. Mr. Westrik originally started his career at ABN AMRO in 1998, working in the Structured Finance, TMT Finance and Leveraged Finance teams. He moved to Houston in 2006 as Head of North America Capital Structuring for Energy and Resources, before joining RBS in 2008. 

Also appointed as a Sector Originator in ECT is Gregory Vandeler, who was previously a Vice President of Corporate Advisory in the Industrials Group at RBS in London. He started his career at Deloitte Corporate Finance in 2005, before working in the Corporate Finance and Sector Advisory teams at ABN AMRO in London prior to joining RBS. Mr. Westrik and Mr. Vandeler both rejoined the bank at the beginning of March and are based in Amsterdam. 

Dedicated origination capabilities will increase ECT’s capacity to provide strategic support for its clients and follows the bank’s growing role in advisory mandates across these sectors. To date in 2014, ABN AMRO has supported Nidera’s announced deal with Cofco, TenneT’s partnership with CIP/ PensionDanmark for the construction of an offshore wind connection to Germany, the sale of RWE’s Dutch heating business to PGGM and Dalkia, as well as the sale of ALP Maritime Services to Teekay Offshore Partners. 

Maarten Terlouw, Global Head of ECT at ABN AMRO, said: “Sector Origination will expand our focus on driving ECT’s important cross border client agenda and the identification of event driven transactions, in conjunction with our Corporate Finance & Capital Markets and Debt Solutions colleagues. We believe we can add significant value for ECT clients, by further strengthening our dedicated advisory services for these sectors alongside our traditional strength in lending.” 

ABN AMRO’s Energy, Commodities & Transportation business provides standard and structured wholesale banking services to global clients in sectors such as commodity finance, shipping, agriculture, oil & gas and offshore oil services. Headquartered in Amsterdam, ECT also has offices in Athens, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, New York, Oslo, Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore - part of ABN AMRO’s overall international network spanning 23 countries. 

Also part of the bank’s Large Corporate & Merchant Banking division, Corporate Finance & Capital Markets offers mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, strategic financial advice and corporate broking services to corporate and institutional clients. ABN AMRO was named Financial Adviser of the Year for Benelux in the Financial Times/ Mergermarket European M&A Awards 2013. Debt Solutions specializes in providing services for capital structuring & advisory, loans & debt capital markets origination, structured finance and syndicate & institutional solutions.