Mission Driven Podcast

In this episode of the Mission Driven Podcast, we speak with Van Ly, co-founder of Raise Partners, about building a leading ESG consulting firm in Vietnam.A path that both founders are passionate about, and as ESG has become a "hot topic" over the last few years, they have seen increased interest in the topics, community growth, and opportunities to deliver impactful projects to their clients.All of which are aligned with their core values and mission, and offer lessons to anyone who is looking at starting their own firm.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction to Mission Driven Podcast and Van Ly01:56 - Early Influences and Career Path05:07 - Moving to Vietnam, and Early Lessons from first job07:07 - Founding Raise Partners (With Mimi Vu)09:39 - The Mission/ Vision of Raise Partners11:03 - Vietnam’s Sustainability & ESG Landscape12:47 - Supporting SMEs in ESG13:39 - Bridging International and Local Efforts14:45 - Communicating the ESG Story15:03 - Final ReflectionsLISTEN TO THIS PODCAST AT:Spotify: Apple: Amazon:acast: iHeart: ABOUT VAN:Van is a partner at Raise Partners, a social and environmental impact consulting practice in Vietnam. She thrives in brokering partnerships, mobilizing people behind social impact programs and initiatives, and helping others communicate about the impact they are making in their communities and around the world. She has extensive experience working in the private sector in corporate citizenship, branding, and communications and in the NGO sector in stakeholder engagement, fundraising, communications, and program management. In 2020, she co-founded Raise Partners, a collaborative women-led consulting practice sharing expertise with organizations that contribute to the betterment of humanity. She currently serves as Co-Chair for AmCham Vietnam's ESG Committee and a Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Avaaz, the world's largest global campaigning movement. FOLLOW VAN: Website: http://www.raisepartnersvn.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/van-ly-8265422/

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In this episode of the Mission Driven Podcast, I speak with Tanvir Uddin about his journey as founder of Wholesum to deliver a pioneering platform for ethical investing and impact.Through our conversation, we speak about the strategies and insights that are driving the movement towards socially responsible investing, uncovering the opportunities and challenges faced in proving the market for ethical investments, and building his proof of concept.ABOUT TANVIR: Tanvir is Founder and CEO of Wholesum, a platform to increase access to unique ethical and impact-focused investments. He was previously Co-Founder & CFO of a venture-backed electric vehicle marketplace and e-commerce SaaS start-up called Vyro and was a Commercial Manager at the leading Australian solar fintech, Brighte. Prior to his entrepreneurial career, Tanvir was a management consultant at McKinsey in Sydney and worked in impact finance in Indonesia with the Clinton Foundation/Acceso and Saudi Arabia with the Islamic Development Bank.Tanvir holds a PhD from the University of Sydney where he examined the intersection of Islamic law and sustainable development through microfinance programs. He has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters exploring Islamic fintech, access to finance and sustainability.FOLLOW TANVIRWebsite: www.investwholesum.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtanvirauddin/ABOUT RICHDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.FOLLOW RICHWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerCONTACT [email protected]#richbrubaker #missiondriven

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In this episode of The Mission Driven podcast, I speak with Tim Gocher, Founder and CEO of Dolma Impact Fund, about his 10 years of impacting in Nepal. One of the earliest Impact investors, we speak to the founding story of Dolma Fund, the evolution of Nepal's impact investment landscape, and why he aligns his success with Nepal's future ability to attract additional/ larger funds.ABOUT TIM:Dolma Fund Management is the largest private equity fund manager focused on Nepal, with investments across renewable energy, technology, healthcare and manufacturing. Before Dolma, Tim worked at Deloitte Corporate Finance in London, J.P. Morgan in New York and energy giant E.On. As an entrepreneur, he has started and sold two successful technology businesses. Tim is Hon. Professor of Sustainable Business at The University of Nottingham and Guest Lecturer at London Business School where he gained his MBA. He was awarded the OBE in the 2022 Queen’s Jubilee Honours List for services to British investment and economic development in Nepal.Tim is also a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Essex, serving HM The King.FOLLOW TIM:Website: https://www.dolmaimpact.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timgocher/ABOUT RICHDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.FOLLOW RICHWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerCONTACT [email protected]#richbrubaker #missiondriven

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In this episode, I speak with Vikas Garg, Founder of abillion, about his vision to inspire a billion individuals to adopt a more sustainable way of life.With more than a million users on his APP alerady, core to executing his vision is analyzing, and leveraging, user data to help users make better decisions, f&b owners improve their menus, or brands know what trends are happening and when to launch their products.It's an incredible conversation about having a big vision, and what it takes to execute on it.About Vikas: Vikas Garg is the Founder & CEO of abillion, a social commerce app that’s enabling people in more than 180 countries to live more sustainably through consumption that’s better for them, and better for the planet. Before creating abillion, Vikas managed over $10 billion for investment banks, hedge funds, and the public pension funds & sovereign wealth funds of California, Canada, Abu Dhabi & Singapore. Vikas was awarded Credit Suisse’s Global Citizenship Award and his work has been featured by CNN, CNBC, BBC, Forbes, the Financial Times, and other publications around the world. He graduated with a degree in history and economics from Emory University and is based in Singapore with his wife and daughter and the abillion team.Follow Vikas:Website: www.abillion.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/vikasgarg.abillionvegLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-garg/ About RichDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.Follow RichWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerContact [email protected]

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In this episode, of the Mission Driven podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Devika Malik, the visionary Founder of The Wheeling Happiness Foundation, about the shared mission she has with her mother to elevate the lives of individuals with disabilities in India.An accomplished paraolympian, Devika approaches entrepreneurship with incredible tenacity, and is backed by crystal-clear vision for change.Through our conversation we speak about the founding of the organization, the role of mentors (aka coaches) to help ensure accountability, and overcoming the challenges of being a young entrepreneur.Prepare to be inspired as we uncover the entrepreneurial mindset driving her endeavors and the profound impact she is making in the lives of individuals with disabilities.About Devika:An international para-athlete, counsellor and co-founder of the Wheeling Happiness Foundation, Devika Malik is a resounding global voice in the sphere of inclusivity for people with physical, emotional and social challenges.Born with hemiplegia, a condition that causes paralysis to one side of the body, Devika developed a sensitised worldview from early on. She not only overcame her disability to become an international para-athlete but has also become an inspirational role model through her work with people facing different types of challenges – educating economically under-privileged children; vocational training for rehabilitated sex workers & AIDS-affected children; and emotional and physical rehabilitative techniques for physically challenged individuals.Today, she is a leading voice for young people with disabilities in the Commonwealth and the United Nations and has represented India at many international forums, including the Commonwealth Youth Forum and Bright Ideas Talk at Commonwealth Secretariat.In 2021, Devika was awarded the National Youth Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; and the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2015 for her work with underprivileged people with disabilities and towards disability awareness and universal inclusion in India. She has been honoured amongst the Women Transforming India by Hon. Vice President and United Nations; and was listed as an honouree on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List 2020. In her career as a para-athlete, Devika has won three medals at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix, and multiple golds at the National Para-Athletics Championships between 2010 and 2015.Devika holds the unique honour of being one of only two youngsters, chosen from across the Commonwealth, to speak at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 (CHOGM) in London in front of Heads of State of 53 nations, including the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and the entire Royal Family. She also addressed high-level stakeholders at the first-ever global Disability Summit in London in 2018.Follow Devika: Website: https://www.wheelinghappiness.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devikamalik394Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devika.malikQYL/Twitter: https://twitter.com/devikamalik_394LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devika-malik-a4377345About RichDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.Follow RichWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerContact [email protected]

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Through this conversation, I speak with Andy Klump about his 15 year journey to to build one of the world's leading solar energy and storage services firms.It's an incredible conversation about entrepreneurship, the need to constantly adapt (as an entrepreneur), and the need for entrepreneurs to continue identifying, acquiring, and leveraging the resources needed to build culture, empower teams, and find scale.ABOUT ANDYMr. Klump is the founder, owner, and CEO of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), a solar energy and storage engineering services firm established in 2008 which serves investors, developers, EPC contractors, utilities and other downstream clients in the areas of supply chain management, quality assurance, independent engineering, and business intelligence. CEA’s team of 200+ professionals including 135+ engineers with a presence in 13 countries have worked with clients in over 70 countries and completed over 145GW of solar and 15GWh storage projects valued at $96B+. CEA’s team of professionals exhibits a deep commitment to the core values and purpose and has obtained NPS score of 80 from customers and team members as a validation of its unique culture.Follow Andy:Website: www.cea3.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aklump/ABOUT RICHDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.FOLLOW RICHWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerCONTACT [email protected]#richbrubaker #missiondriven

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Daniel Spitzer is a mission-driven entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to building businesses that solve big problems at scale. It’s a journey that started seeing the socio-economic and environmental challenges faced in the region, and coming to the belief that private business was the best way to address those issues.In the years that followed, Spitzer built a vertically integrated forestry products manufacturer (TPP) that planted over 100 million trees as part of its business model, and shortly thereafter built Mountain Hazelnuts. An organization that has become one of the largest private employers in Bhutan.While Spitzer's journey into mission-driven may seem counterintuitive, Spitzer's work highlights the impact that mission-driven entrepreneurs can play in addressing large scale social and environmental issues, and through this interview I hope you will be inspired to think about how you too can deliver impact AT SCALE.About DanielDaniel Spitzer is Chairman & CEO of Mountain Hazelnuts Group, a major agri-business that is planting 10 million hazelnut trees on deforested mountain slopes in Bhutan. The Company’s mission is to generate strong financial returns while creating sustainable income for 15% of Bhutan’s population, while addressing the country’s key social and environmental issues. Since 1993, Daniel has developed ventures that successfully combine financial objectives with social and environmental goals, including Plantation Timber Products, which he built into China's largest sustainable forestry company. With state-of-the-art processing facilities and 1,000 PTP retail stores, PTP engaged 700,000 subsistence farmers in planting fast-cycle trees used to produce fiberboard panels as an import substitute for plywood made from SE Asian rainforests. Previously, Daniel was Partner & Managing Director of the General Atlantic Group in Asia. Spitzer received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters degree from Stanford University. Daniel is married to his business partner, Teresa Law, with whom he has a grown son and daughter.Follow DanielWebsite: LinkedIn:Facebook:About RichDriven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.Follow RichWebsite: http://www.richbrubaker.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubakerLinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubakerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubakerContact [email protected]

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