Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) announced today that Fifth Third Securities Inc. has hired Timothy Beach, Ari Citrin and Oliver Janssen as managing directors to lead its new Renewable Energy Investment Banking Group.

“The creation of a dedicated group to offer M&A and capital markets advisory services for the renewable energy industry adds to the capabilities, services and expertise established by our Renewable Energy Finance Group led by Eric Cohen,” said Lars Anderson, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Fifth Third. “We are proud to welcome a team that has a significant track record as trusted advisors to the industry to help our clients achieve their objectives.”

Since 2012, Fifth Third has provided financing for solar projects, including large utility-scale projects, distribution generation and community solar, in more than 25 states for middle-market companies.

“Renewable energy capacity and generation has grown exponentially and we believe that will continue,” said Cohen, vice president and group head of Fifth Third’s Renewable Energy Finance Group. “The new Investment Banking group will be instrumental in building on our solar growth strategy and delivering value for our clients.”

Based in San Francisco, the Renewable Energy Investment Banking Group composed of more than 10 professionals will report to Rob Schipper, head of Investment Banking. The Investment Banking and M&A team provides a depth of experience in advising a range of industry sectors, including consumer and retail; diversified industrials; downstream petroleum; technology, media and telecom; and healthcare.

The Renewable Energy Investment Banking Group is part of a larger strategic buildout in San Francisco, where Fifth Third plans to provide its full scope of middle-market banking capabilities, and builds on Fifth Third Capital Markets’ recent growth. In 2018, Fifth Third Securities acquired Coker Capital, which specializes in M&A advisory services for middle-market healthcare companies.