ING has appointed Siobhan Walker as head of its energy team in the UK.

In this newly-created role, Walker will be responsible for overseeing the growth of ING’s commitment to the energy sector in the UK, one of the main European markets driving its energy transition plans.

With more than 700 employees at ING in the UK and clients that include more than 60 per cent of the FTSE 100, ING said that Walker's appointment will play a "key role" in driving the bank's commercial strategy.

She has more than 25 years experience leading international teams across multiple countries, products and sectors including relationship management, corporate finance and financial sponsors.

“The UK has long been a key market for our renewable energy activities and a hub for ING’s Global Energy Sector expertise, anchored by our Energy Project Advisory team who advise on projects and financing constructs across the world," said Michiel de Haan, ING's global head of energy sector, who Walker will report to. “With the appointment of Siobhan we will further step up our engagement with the UK Energy and Energy Investment Community.”

The move comes as ING aims to meet its new objective of tripling its power generation lending target.

This includes lending for wind, solar and batteries to €7.5 billion a year by 2025 (three times the €2.5 billion target announced in 2022).

The target is in line with the International Energy Agency (IEA) standard which says a tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 will be needed to put the world on a 1.5C trajectory.

“ING is already one of the top 10 Banks financing Energy transition globally, the dynamism of the UK Energy Sector makes this a key growth opportunity for our specialist finance and advisory teams," said Siobhan Walker, ING's new UK head of energy.

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