Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, features the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits. In this installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Keith Lambert, chief operating officer for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership in Michigan. Keith can be reached at:…

In the 1st Episode of Season 2 of Site Selectors Are People, Too, Devin responds to a listener question about how the public can get more engaged with economic development projects. How do we balance critical project confidentiality with the community's right to know what's coming next? It's not an easy topic, but it's one worth discussing. Here's …

Stories from the Road, a miniseries within the podcast, will feature the people behind the profession in the communities Devin visits and within his network of esteemed misfits. In this first installment of the miniseries, Devin is joined by Bryant Niehoff, executive director of the Uplands Science & Technology Foundation in southwest Indiana. Brya…

In the 10th episode of Site Selectors Are People, Too, Devin takes a look at the RFI and how it informs the site selection process as a whole. We dig into how the RFI is put together and how economic developers can better tailor their efforts to increase their chances of success. If you don't get the results you want, does that mean you failed? Or …

In today's episode, Devin explores the realities of being an economic developer. What does it take to get the job done? What does a day in the life look like? Let's dig beyond the tip of the iceberg of being an economic developer, including what it takes to serve as the intersection between community and business. Here's some resources for those in…

In today's episode, Devin explores the realities of being a site selector. What does it take to get the job done? What does a day in the life look like? Let's dig beyond the tip of the iceberg of being a site selector, including what it takes to manage a corporate site selection project. Note: winning clients and getting paid will be discussed in f…

Devin tackles a fundamental aspect of human interaction - trust. In this episode, we explore the definition of trust, how to build it, how to ruin it, and its role in economic development and site selection. Economic developers and site selectors serve as a bridge between communities and companies, requiring a focus on being trusted advisors and re…

In this episode, Devin explores the role and impact of artificial intelligence on economic development and site selection. We discuss how AI is currently being deployed, its limitations, and the future for our professions. Is AI going to replace us all? Here's some resources for those interested in learning more: AI 101 for Site Selection AI: These…

Let's tackle some small steps we can take to empower each other in a big way in this episode of Site Selectors Are People, Too. Can it really be as simple as acknowledging receipt of a RFI response? I think so, and I think you do, too.By Devin Hillsdon-Smith

In this episode, Devin responds to some listener questions before providing an account of his story transitioning from economic development to site selection. We explore the factors and considerations that drive the two sides of the industry and dig deeper into the differences and similarities between them. How can we serve as community advocates a…

In this episode, we explore the disparities between economic developers and site selectors and how they impact end results in corporate investment decisions. What are some of the issues, and how do we go about addressing them to ensure better outcomes? What can site selectors do better, and what traps do economic developers typically fall into?…

In this episode, Devin explores the personal side of site selectors and economic developers, including the pressures each profession faces day in and day out. Yes, those quick RFI turnaround times seem punitive in nature, and man does it suck when you can't get a site selector to pick up the phone, but what's really going on in that person's life? …

In this first episode, Devin sets the stage for the rest of the podcast by introducing general concepts and the people behind the profession. Who are site selectors? Who are economic developers? How do they work together to successfully match communities and corporate investment decisions? Dive into the world of economic development and site select…

Join Devin Hillsdon-Smith, a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in economic development, as he embarks on a new journey in the world of industrial site selection. In “Site Selectors Are People, Too” Devin flips the script and takes you behind the scenes of corporate investment decisions, exploring the intricate dance between economic…

The Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement rely on the world making $6 trillion in infrastructure investment every year, funds which are difficult to channel into infrastructure High investment sizes, illiquid markets and a complex web of contracts limit infrastructure investment to only the largest institutional investors Fasset has lau…

RFI Foundation and DDCAP Group™ are excited to jointly announce the release of a case study and podcast showing how DDCAP’s experience demonstrates how SMEs can influence others to adopt responsible finance. Despite lacking the scale of the financial institutions with whom they work, SMEs in responsible finance can leverage their agility as an adva…

This session, a replay of a webinar released on 11 May 2020 organized by RFI Foundation and Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), looks at the role for Islamic finance in the Covid-19 response. Speakers: Blake Goud, CEO, RFI Foundation (Moderator) Abdulla Al Awar, CEO, DIEDC Ramya Gopalan, Global Innovation Coordinator and Alternative F…

Shariah screens limit the number of defensive assets available for asset managers in narrow markets where financial institutions represent 25-30% of the market Investment managers can offset some of the additional risk by using ESG integration strategies, as well as investing in global sukuk The institutionalization of Shari'ah standards gives Isla…

This month, we are featuring an update to our podcast with Matthew Martin, Founder & CEO of Blossom Finance that we released in June of last year. In this update podcast, Matthew gives us an update on Blossom Finance, which have recently closed the world’s first microsukuk. Blossom's sukuk is notable for a number of reasons, including its proof-of-…

This episode of the RFI podcast features an interview with Dr. Shalini Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Sanshodhan: An E-Waste Exchange, the winner of the 2019 Support Disruption for Good Challenge sponsored by DDCAP Group. Dr. Shalini accepted the award and presented Sanshodhan to the audience of responsible finance leaders in April 2019 at the RFI S…

The RFI Foundation is excited to announce the release of an in-depth case study of one of our member financial institutions, CIMB Islamic Bank (“CIMB Islamic”), which has adopted responsible finance practices in a systematic way. The case study and this companion podcast are designed to show that it is possible for an Islamic bank to integrate resp…

This month, we are featuring an interview with Stella Cox CBE, Managing Director of DDCAP Group. As you’ll hear, she has been involved with the Islamic finance industry for many years and has been a consistent champion for Islamic finance, responsible finance and women in the financial sector. Ms. Cox was a member of the UK Government’s Task Force …

When the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) launched their Credit Rating Initiative, one of the six founding members was RAM Ratings, after interacting with WWF and Saturna Capital on sustainable finance and understanding how a credit rating agency could drive change. RAM Ratings was the first domestic credit rating agency in Malaysia when…

This month, we are featuring an interview with Talal Yassine, OAM, Managing Director of Crescent Wealth, who is also a member of the RFI Foundation Board of Trustees. In addition to his work at Crescent Wealth, he’s active across a range of organizations in Australia. Talal is an Adjunct Professor within the Business School, Western Sydney Universi…

This month, we are featuring an interview with Mounir Khouzami, Executive Board Member, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Co-Founder of Swiss Arab Network, who has also recently joined the RFI Foundation Board of Trustees. As he will explain, Mounir is working across three nonprofits to advance his personal mission of being an “intercultural bridg…

This episode of the podcast features an interview with Inge Relph, Head of Sustainability & Strategic Relationships of the ERA Foundation, who has also recently joined the RFI Foundation Board of Trustees. Inge’s career has been guided by the global dimensions on human rights and how women can play an important role in the process of peacebuilding.…

Diane Schrader is Founder & CEO of thirdACT. ThirdACT is a FinTech working to drive resiliency in communities with non-debt financing of energy efficiency and renewable energy investment. Instead of using debt, thirdACT finances properties’ energy efficiency upgrades in exchange for a share of future sale proceed for the next 20-30 years. This stru…

We have been doing the podcast now for a year – this is the thirteenth episode – and so we’re going to change up the podcast with a guest host. Our guest host is Stuart Hutton, Chief Investment Officer of Simply Ethical, and he’ll interview Blake Goud, CEO of the RFI Foundation about RFI. In the conversation, Blake shares the history of the RFI Fou…

Michael Looft has lived a storied life. A globe trotter by nature, he’s worked and traveled in upwards of 50 countries around the world. Michael has spent over a decade working in financial services for the poor (microfinance) at the crowdfunding organizations Kiva and Lendahand. He holds graduate degrees from both St. John's College and Harvard. M…

Matthew Joseph Martin is an early pioneer in the application of financial tech for responsible finance. Combining his passion for Islamic finance with his deep financial technology background, Matthew founded Blossom Finance in 2014 which aims to increase the availability and inclusivity of Islamic microfinance. Matthew's background includes engine…

Dr Aishath Muneeza is Associate Professor at INCEIF and is one of the key founder of Islamic finance in Maldives. She is the first female Deputy Minister of Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the first chairperson of the Hajj Pilgrimage Fund of Maldives. Currently, she is the chairperson of Maldives Centre for Islamic Finance. She has published books …

For one RFI trustee who recently retired from running an Islamic finance university, the way forward for Islamic finance has become clearer as he has had more time to think. Daud Vicary Abdullah, former president & CEO of INCEIF, the Global University on Islamic Finance, spoke to RFI Foundation CEO Blake Goud for our podcast following a presentatio…

In this podcast, we talk to Dr. Sherin Kunhibava, a Senior Lecturer at the Univerity Malaya Law faculty who had her research on how Malaysia’s Islamic banks approach environmental impact recently published in the Arab Law Quarterly. Dr. Sherin’s expertise is in commercial law and Islamic finance law and she has worked both as an academic and also h…

In this podcast, we talk to Jessica Robinson, Founder & CEO of Moxie Future, who was previously Head of Asia for the UN supported Principles for Responsible Investment. Moxie Future is the world’s first insights, education and community platform empowering women as responsible and impact investors. Moxie Future has a report out now that is designed…

In this podcast, we talk to Justin Sykes, Managing Director of Innovest Advisory, a boutique advisory firm focused on the social enterprise sector. Innovest works to bring in private investors seeking both financial returns and a clear and measurable social impact. This positive impact comes through investing in social businesses in some of the mos…

In order to promote financial inclusion, sometimes it is necessary to start with a non-financial activity to reach people who are not used to engaging with the financial sector. In this podcast, we talk to Morrad Irsane, Co-Founder of Melltoo about their peer-to-peer marketplace, no-meetup classifieds, based in the United Arab Emirates. Melltoo act…

In this podcast, we talk to Dr. Jemilah Mahmood who began her career as an obstetrician and gynaecologist before founding an international humanitarian relief organization in Malaysia. She shared wth us some examples of both the need and the opportunity for Islamic finance to bring a unique approach to humanitarian funding. In addition, we welcome …

In this podcast, we talk to Umar Munshi, Founder of Ethis Ventures, a pioneering group of ethical and Islamic crowdfunding companies that fund government-backed Social Housing development projects in Indonesia. Ethis’ community has crowd-invested in projects to build 5,000 affordable houses in Indonesia since 2015.…

Interview with Will Oulton, the Global Head of Responsible Investment at UK-based First State Investments. [more]By RFI Foundation

Naureen Hyat, Business Head at Tez Financial Services, describes the upcoming launch of a pilot version of the company’s nano-loans FinTech product. Hyat, whose company won the Support Disruption for Good Challenge at the RFI Summit in Zurich in May, said the pilot would start in selected locations within Pakistan before a final rollout across the …