BiD Network - Founder and Director
http://www.bidnetwork.org

The Netherlands (Àmsterdam)

BiD Network prepares emerging market entrepreneurs for investors. It was founded in 2005. BiD Network operates an online community with 26,000 members, it has supported 8,000 entrepreneurs in the writing of business plans. Over 300 SMEs have started through BiD Network in the last 4 years.

Thierry’s career is a blend of development and business, with a dash of IT, carbon markets and finance. At NCDO he set up Dutch Design in Development, the BiD Challenge, the MDG Scan for multinationals. He helped initiate the Economic Impact Assessment model with Heineken to measure its impact on the local economy in Sierra Leone. In 2005 Thierry published the world's first guide for Venture Capital Funds for development.

Prior to this I was general manager of EcoSecurities plc the leading Carbon trading & solutions company focused on developing country carbon projects. Thierry advised several Dutch companies on the financial return of CSR. Worked for Origin (A Dutch-French IT company) setting up joint ventures in Japan. Prior to that he worked with Fair Trade and the ABN Bank. He studied Agricultural and Development Economics at Imperial College, London.

I strongly believe that economic growth driven by finance and small and medium sized companies is the key to poverty reduction. The trick is to make this growth massive, pro-poor and sustainable.