Executive Committee
Rob Keijsers was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer of ASA International, effective 1 April 2025. Rob Keijsers took on the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of ASA International Group plc on 1 November 2024 having been Chief Digital and Information Officer since July 2023. He originally joined as Chief Information Officer in May 2022. Other than leading the IT department, he was responsible for the overall digital transformation journey. Rob joined from ABN Amro Bank and over the past 15 years has gained experience in the cross section of business operations and IT in a multinational banking environment, specifically in large scale digital transformations, post-merger and agile integrations, and setting up green field operations.
Geert Embrechts joined as Group Chief Financial Officer on 1 February 2026. He is responsible for the Finance, Treasury, Tax and Investor Relations functions and works closely with colleagues across the business to support the execution of ASA International’s strategy.
Geert joined from Rabobank, where he served as Chief Financial Officer of the Wholesale & Rural business unit, which represents the bank’s international operations. He has 30 years of experience at Rabobank, having led and scaled finance, control and operational functions across multiple business lines and geographies, including extensive experience in emerging markets. He has also served on several Supervisory Boards.
Azim Hossain assumed the role of Chief of Operations ('CO') in July 2023, having served as the Group's Director of Investment, Treasury and Risk Management since 2005. Mr Hossain has over 34 years of experience in the microfinance industry, having worked for 20 years at ASA NGO Bangladesh, where he held various positions including Director of Finance & MIS and Senior Finance Professional. At ASA Bangladesh, Mr Hossain established the finance and MIS systems, was involved in the development and design of the AMMS, assisted in the establishment of risk management frameworks and was in charge of the NGO Partnership Programme, providing technical and financial assistance to microfinance institutions. He has also worked with the UNDP MicroStart programme in the Philippines and Nigeria, where he was responsible for development, products and services, financial management, performance analysis and business planning.
Grace Thiongo is an experienced Audit, Risk, and Compliance leader with over 18 years of expertise across multi-sectoral and global organizations. She has a proven track record in leading audit and risk functions.
Her experience spans large financial services firms operating across multiple geographic locations. She has built strong partnerships with Board Members, Regulators, and industry leaders. A skilled leader and mentor, she provides direction to teams while ensuring organizations achieve strategic objectives through good governance.
Grace is a scholarship recipient of the Women In Leadership Program at the Melbourne Business School. She holds a Risk Management for Corporate Leaders Certification from Harvard Business School, an MBA from Melbourne Business School, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Nairobi.
Martijn Bollen has served as the Group’s General Counsel since 2007. He brings over 15 years of experience in the microfinance industry and also acts as General Counsel for Catalyst Microfinance Investors (CMI). He has been affiliated with Sequoia BV since 2005.
Earlier in his career, Mr Bollen worked as an Attorney-at-Law in the Banking and Finance department of Loyens & Loeff (2000–2004), followed by roles as in-house counsel and Attorney-at-Law from 2004 to 2005.
Sivan Maron was appointed Chief HR Officer on 1 June 2025. She brings more than a decade of experience in human resources, with a strong track record of leading complex transformations across diverse markets - from high-growth environments in Africa to established hubs in Europe and the Middle East.
Over the past seven years, Sivan has led senior HR agendas at Unilever, serving in the Nutrition and Ice Cream divisions at global, regional, and business unit levels. She has consistently built performance-driven cultures, navigated regulatory and organizational complexity, and positioned human capital as a key driver of business strategy.
Sivan holds an MBA from Ono Academic College.
Steven van Zuylen assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer on 1 June 2025. Steven joined ASA International in September 2022 as Head of Change and in this role he has been leading the digital transformation programme as well as building the digital infrastructure and support organisation.
Previously, Steven had spent over 20 years at ABN Amro Bank, where he managed large scale technology transformations, setup of green field operations, core banking migrations and software implementation programmes across multiple geographical locations.
Steven holds a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology.
On March 21, 2024, Md Ezazul Islam joined the Group as the Head of Internal Audit. He has over 15 years of professional experience in FMCG, Pharmaceutical Company, NGOs, External Audit, Microfinance and Financial Service Industries. His career highlights include serving as the Head of Internal Audit and Compliance at IPDC Finance Limited and Head of Internal Audit at BRAC Bangladesh. Moreover, he has worked in various capacities at Sanofi Bangladesh Limited, Kallol Thai President Foods (BD) Limited and KPMG Bangladesh.
Mr. Islam is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Bangladesh (ICAB). He holds an MBA in Accounting and Information System from the University of Dhaka.