A START OF A NEW (AD) VENTURE!

Eminent African-American Civil Rights Leader, Martin Luther King Jnr., once proclaimed, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” This is the philosophy I have embraced throughout my life. It is there, always at the back of my mind as I pursue in my goals in making a difference.

Such a principle has been no more emboldened than in my career in International Development and Public Policy. Spanning nearly a decade, ranging from endeavours such as trekking through jungles and farm fields of West Bengal in India to managing microfinance solar energy systems in the villages, collaborating with social entrepreneurs and diplomats on humanitarian innovation as a Red Cross Officer and formulating social public policies in the Australian Government. It has certainly been a learning experience and a exciting journey.

Now, becoming an entrepreneur launching my own CSR and Impact Investing Advisory practice - Thoth Impact Advisory is the next natural step in the curve of life and work. A part of the reason why I have set up this endeavour is due to a realisation that corporate companies, governments and multilateral agencies have begun to contemplate the same question propagated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr.; “What are you doing for others?”. Organisations have begun looking outward into their community and reaching out to make their difference. This is becoming more apparent in their respective business practices and policies, which are increasingly cultivating an altruistic tilt through support to local and international community initiatives and through foundations set up to achieve their CSR objectives.

There is an array of reasons why such a trend is emerging, the primary being pressure from shareholders and the public for business practices and policies to be aligned towards the greater good of humanity and this planet. Global political and business leaders recognise that everyone residing in this world are “in it together” and that globalisation of goods and services impacts us all. Therefore, there is an increasing understanding that their practices, particularly their for-profit ventures, should provide at least some social and ecological benefit to society, thus embracing the notion of “Shared Value” (please see What is Shared Value? In the Vision section of our website at www.thothimpact.com).

This is a key reason why the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Impact Investing sectors have emerged in recent years as strong support towards community impact initiatives. Thoth Impact Advisory and our project management services aim to facilitate CSR and Impact Investing initiatives within the corporate, multilateral and public policy worlds towards a more aligned Shared Value philosophy.

This premier blog post is to introduce myself and Thoth Impact Advisory and to also commence a series of blog posts wherein we shall be discussing and highlighting some of the exciting trends currently occurring in CSR and Impact Investing. There are some amazing things we, as a community, can harness to better our world through Shared Value business and government practices.

Stay tuned as we embark together on a new and exciting journey with Thoth Impact Advisory.