Robert S. Katz [0] | Associate and Co-Managing Editor
Robert S. Katz is an Associate with the Knowledge & Communications team at the Acumen Fund [1], a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Before joining Acumen Fund, he was an Associate with the Markets and Enterprise Program of the World Resources Institute [2]. Rob researches, writes and speaks about "base of the pyramid" business approaches to poverty alleviation and environmental degradation. He is the co-founder and managing editor of www.NextBillion.net [3], a web site and blog about enterprise and development. As a principal analyst of household survey data for and co-author of The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid, [3] he has studied market structure and sector specific spending patterns in low-income, "base of the pyramid," populations. Rob has consulted with a number of Fortune 500 corporations on BOP strategy, and has done scenario work for institutions such as the XPRIZE Foundation and the Institute for the Future, among others. He is also an active contributor to Worldchanging: Another World Is Here [4], an online magazine/blog and offline book about tools, models, and ideas to build a better future. Rob earned a B.A. in Political Economy from Georgetown University.
Derek Newberry [4] | Research Analyst and Co-Managing Editor
Derek is a staff writer for NextBillion.net and a Research Analyst with the New Ventures team, where he studies the impact of small- and medium- sized-enterprises (SMEs) on environmental and social conditions in emerging economies. He is interested in staying involved in both sustainable development and poverty alleviation issues as the world's population enters into an era of increasingly intertwined globalized/localized linkages. Derek received a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, where he studied International Development and Socio-cultural Anthropology.
Allen Hammond [4] | Director
Dr. Hammond is Vice President for Innovation and Special Projects at World Resources Institute. His responsibilities include directing the Development Through Enterprise project and leading activities within WRI and globally to stimulate use of business approaches and new technologies to alleviate poverty in developing countries. He works on private sector development strategies with foundations, development agencies, and a number of major corporations. Dr. Hammond is principal author of a major research study of low income markets (The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid) and has published 12 books and numerous articles in major journals and thought-leader periodicals, including Which World?: Scenarios for the 21st Century, a book focused on long-term sustainability issues. Dr. Hammond holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard University in engineering and applied mathematics.
Nitin Rao [4] | Staff Writer
Nitin Rao is an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology - Karnataka [5] - Surathkal, (2008) and the StartingBloc Fellowship (London Business School, 2007) [6]. In May 2008, he will be joining the business development team at SKS Microfinance in Hyderabad, India. He has been involved in strategy for The Spark Group, an MIT/Yale education startup. He has written and published papers on sustainable investments in Indian education. Nitin recently founded Engineers for Social Impact [7], a unique fellowship program to connect top engineering talent to the most credible social enterprises that drive market-based solutions to development. He is also the founder of the innovative Let Me Know [8] blog for youth opportunities in India.
Tayo Akinyemi [8] | Staff Writer
Tayo Akinyemi is a soon-to-be MBA with domestic and international experience working with nonprofits, for-profit companies, and start ups. Prior to becoming a NextBillion blogger, Tayo worked in business development for a Chicago-based consulting firm, Burke & Partners [9]. She currently works as a Content Analyst for Cymfony [10], a market influence analytics company. Tayo started her career at Catalyst [11], a New York-based research and advisory organization working with businesses to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. After nearly four years with Catalyst, she accepted a Princeton in Africa Fellowship to do democracy and governance work with an international NGO in Abuja, Nigeria. At the conclusion of her fellowship, she joined the marketing department of an emerging telecommunications company in Nigeria, Suburban Telecom [12]. Tayo holds a degree from Princeton University. She currently attends the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University, where she is pursuing her MBA.
Manuel Bueno [12] | Staff Writer
Manuel Bueno is a staff writer for NextBillion.net. He has been employed until recently as a Financial Services Strategy Consultant at the Deloitte office in Madrid. He has two years of experience in strategy and transactions. After receiving a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, he worked at a microfinance institution in India and at Procter & Gamble. Manuel has always had a keen interest in business models in developing countries and is now in the process of writing a book about the Latin American Base of the Pyramid with Drs. Juan Luis Martinez and Maria Carbonell of Instituto de Empresa Business School. Manuel will start an MPhil in Business at Tilburg University next August, where he hopes to collaborate with the soon to be launched BoP Learning Lab and satisfy his craving for BoP research. He can be contacted at mbuenovera@gmail.com
Grace Augustine [12] | Staff Writer
Grace Augustine is a Staff Writer for NextBillion.net. She is currently employed as a Research Associate with the William Davidson Institute [13] (WDI) at the University of Michigan. At WDI, Grace writes cases in international business, and has a particular interest in exploring market-based solutions to poverty alleviation, social entrepreneurship, and clean technology at the base of the pyramid (BoP). Prior to joining WDI, Grace received her B.A. in Organizational Studies from the University of Michigan and worked as a Business Analyst with Deloitte Consulting. She has consulted, worked, and studied in Italy, Turkey, and Spain. Currently, she is starting a professional chapter of Net Impact [14] in Southeastern Michigan and has just been accepted as a 2008 StartingBloc Fellow [15].
Moses Lee [15] | Staff Writer
Moses Lee is an Associate at the William Davidson Institute [16], where he researches, writes case studies, and consults enterprises in transitioning global economies. He has a particular interest in base of the pyramid (BoP) strategies, believing that this is one approach towards effectively alleviating poverty. Previously, Moses worked in investment banking at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Bank and in financial services at General Motors and Ernst & Young. He graduated with high distinction from the Ross School of Business [17] at the University of Michigan with a BBA and MAcc. While attending Ross, Moses was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Monroe Street Journal [18], the business school newspaper.
Francisco Noguera [18] | Staff Writer
Francisco Noguera is a research intern at New Ventures and a staff writer for NextBillion.net. After receiving a degree in industrial engineering from Universidad de los Andes and working for an investment banking firm, he joined StratCo Consultores in Bogotá, where he worked for almost four years in management and strategy consulting. Francisco's interest in the intersection between business and development led him to start and manage a microfinance program in Bogotá and engage in various socially minded projects while working for StratCo. He is currently looking into going back to school to pursue an MBA beginning in the Fall of 2008.