Convincing Trump about Impact Investing
I love irresponsible investors and criminals. Not real irresponsible investors and criminals, I mean those that are totally against ESG and Impact Investing. Those that have a clear idea why ESG is a terrible idea and it is a complete waste of time and will always fail. Why do I like this group, because they are the easiest to convince about Sustainable Investing and achieve behavioural change. Remember the financial sector is the most predictable group you will eve encounter.
Recently I was at a conference on ESG investing with mostly mainstream financial alpha males, all totally convinced that they had all the answers. A significant part of the Conference was dedicated to ESG and ESG analysis. At the end of the first day, there was a very nice dinner. Everybody rushed to sit themselves next to the best potential client. I walked slowly and ended up at a big empty table with two men and many empty seats. Next to me was a German, hard core, anti climate change, and sustainable investment. He was very aggressive and didn’t want to be confused with facts or fake news. I thought I was sitting next to Donald Trump, but I wasn’t. My neighbour was actually more educated. The other dinner guest was an ESG fund manager and a big fan of ESG integration and investment.
Did you ever talk to someone who contradicted and denied whatever you said. If I said, it was raining, he said no it isn’t. It’s cold. No its not. Renewable Energy is terrible. Money wasted. Extra financial investing is stupid. Etc. My German challenge had a family office and managed his own money, and according to him, he didn’t do so well, as he often missed his bench mark. After 1.5 hours of listening to his tirades, fake news, silly remarks and unwillingness to keep an open mind, I used the fool proof convincing method.
I said “Remember this day. March 16th. It might take one hour, one day, one week, one month, 1 year or 2 years or 3 years, but you will ultimately adopt ESG and Impact as a way of managing your money, and you will remember this day and me.” Then I turned to my ESG fund mangers and said to my Trump Surrogate that his firm manages Euros 200 billion, and he has beat his bench mark, regularly, for his clients using an integrated ESG methodology”. My ESG skeptic looked shocked and his facial colours changed, a small smile forced its way out of his vault like face and asked “could I have your card so we might speak about your ESG services”.
Don’t you love financial alpha males who hate ESG and Impact. I do.
Impact Investing Myanmar
My wife, Dr. Rieki Crins started The Learning Exchange Foundation (LEF). After successfully creating a vocational hotel school in Bhutan, she has been asked, by the Governor, to set up a hotel school for Karen refugee youth in Myawaddy, Karen State, Myanmar.
As you all know, until 2012, there was a bloody civil war in Burma and the ethnic minorities where became victims of this war. For example, the Karen people had to flee to refugee camps. Now there are several of these camps along the Thai border. These camps have been here for 60 years and there are more than 100.000 people living in these camp, with 50% under the age of 25. These young people receive education from various NGO’s but the education, and thus diploma, are not recognized by Myanmar and Thailand. These kids are stuck!
Tourism is booming in Myanmar and there is a huge demand for skilled hotel people. Her hybrid hotelschool ( hotel and school) is ideally placed to address the challenges and needs of the Karen people living in these refugee camps.
Please support this important initiative that is working to create a livelihood for 100.000 refugees stuck in these camps .
Karen Hotel Project needs to raise US $ 100.000.
If you would like to have more information, please contact rieki
Thank you.
