| Zaki Raheem |
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 Zaki joined the EVI team in December of 2008 as a Program Associate. He engages in economic development research and consulting activities specific to EVI project locations with an emphasis on market assessment and value chain analysis. In particular, he is the Market Development Associate for the USAID/PAS Project in East Timor managed by the Education Development Center, Inc (EDC), where he is looking at market-led opportunities for youth, by linking them to functions within growing and competitive value chains.
Zaki has worked as a micro-enterprise development consultant for the past five years throughout Latin America, Southeast Asia and East Africa working with rural banks, women's cooperatives, vocational training programs, government agencies, donors, foundations, and international organizations such as FINCA International, the International Rescue Committee, UNIDIO, CARE International, Chemonics and DAI. He has managed and engaged in microfinance market studies, MFI management training, youth employment market assessments, SME investment guides, value chain analyses in post-conflict contexts, and small-scale renewable energy enterprise research to be used as carbon offset projects. Zaki holds a Masters of economic development from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He additionally worked in Manhattan for two years as an analyst for Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a socially responsible investment research firm, consulting with major investments banks, pension funds and money managers to analyze risks and opportunities of environmental, labor, human rights, and corporate governance issues in clients' portfolio holdings. Zaki believes there is viable nexus between development and the private sector in terms of job creation, value addition, skills transfer, trade opportunities, community development empowerment and economic growth. His complementary work experiences in micro-enterprise development and socially responsible investment research has exposed him to both the micro (community-level) and macro (capital markets) perspectives of the environmental, social and political challenges of fostering a viable business sector in the developing world, particularly in post-conflict contexts. However, as the microfinance industry continues to grow, CSR movements continue to strengthen multinational's responsible investment in developing countries, and more actors recognize new ventures at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) including new environmental technology opportunities, Zaki is hopeful and inspired by business and community leaders in the developing world that are finding profitable avenues to develop their societies. |
