purposeAt Business for Development our purpose is to help business achieve sustainable development for enhanced outcomes.
Our vision is to leave a legacy of sustainable businesses in the communities where we operate.
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Applying market-based solutions with measurable impact. Embracing all members of society, including our differences – from culture, gender, to ideology – encourages creative problem solving and innovation.
Challenging conventional wisdom, testing assumptions, bridging sectors, and embracing change to take measured risks and develop sustainable pathways to livelihoods.
When it comes to engaging with clients, partners, and community members, authenticity and practicality is paramount in empowering generations to come.
Seeking to understand the needs of everyone we work with. Seeing things from their perspective means designing and implementing projects suitable for their community.
Remaining open-minded and curious when designing solutions to address systemic causes of poverty, while guided by our moral compass.
Transformation cannot be realised without execution. We work on the ground tenaciously, questioning the status quo and exploring the systemic changes needed to create new opportunities.
We strive to improve farmer LIVELIHOODS, RESILIENCE and FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE… not just increase incomes.
We develop PARTNERSHIP ECOSYSTEMS, including community, business, government, research, and public and private funders.
We work in ASIA-PACIFIC, AFRICA, and AUSTRALIA and we need to understand the SYSTEMS impacting these regions.
If we’re to achieve our VISION, we need to develop scale beyond individual projects.
AG-TECH and a DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH are priority enablers for us to maximise our impact.
Our primary lens is RURAL POVERTY; therefore, our primary industry is AGRICULTURE.
We consider the ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN when reviewing options and apply an INCLUSIVE and COLLABORATIVE approach.
We take an all-encompassing perspective with a focus on ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, and SOCIAL impact.
We are ACTION ORIENTED (because nothing happens in the absence of activity), EMPATHETIC and COMPASSIONATE.
We use MARKET-DRIVEN approaches, implement sustainable business models, and have CLEAR EXIT STRATEGY to ensure lasting impact.
We take time to UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE AND COMMUNITIES we work with. With humility, sincerity and without ego, we serve our stakeholders to solve rural poverty.
We bring the voice of the community to life through STORYTELLING based on FACTS.
Our IMPACT and INFLUENCE are determined by our PEOPLE and FINANCIAL resources.
We design and implement programs, following our ENGAGEMENT MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
We are RESULTS ORIENTED and ACCOUNTABLE for our actions. We apply the DO NO HARM doctrine.
We implement MONITORING AND EVALUATION protocols to track sustainable impact in line with SDG and CORPORATE STANDARDS.
Advocating
Turning intentions into action
Delivering programs and localising teams
Scaling for impact
Established to advocate for the Millennium Development Goals with the support of World Vision and other Board members. Seed funding was provided by various organisations including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. B4D subsequently held Australia’s first Inclusive Business Summit in 2008, with over 150 delegates in attendance.
Began working in partnership with business leaders, taking them in-country to meet communities and co-create community inclusive value chains. We also started undertaking feasibility studies designed to shift business models by achieving food security and agricultural development in smallholder farming communities.
Shifted from primarily government to private sector funding, demonstrating sufficient belief in the community inclusive business model.
Secured our first pilot/implementation programs in Kenya (Kwale Agribusiness Program) and Papua New Guinea (Wonderland Agristock Limited). Kwale Agribusiness Program subsequently secured a Business Partnership Platform grant (BPP) in 2016, which supports partnerships between the Australian Government (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and inclusive businesses to create both development impact and sustainable commercial returns through core business.
‘Business for Millennium Development’ became ‘Business for Development’ to reflect the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Expanded our geographical reach with programs/project activity in Papua New Guinea, Kenya, India, Mozambique, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Commenced our first digital enablement trial using an application to track the first mile of agricultural production (smallholder farmer to processor). Learnings from the trial and the pathways it unlocked, such as traceability and mobile learning, prompted us to explore digitally enabling all programs.
Our investment in establishing a strong foundation with the right people (including in-country teams), systems, and processes paid off as COVID-19 tested the resilience of organisations worldwide. This enabled us to expand into South Africa. We have continued developing our portfolio of programs, adding the Mpumalanga Winter Wheat Pilot, Pacific Island Tuna project and Lihir Island Agribusiness in 2021 and 2022.
B4D was established to advocate for the Millennium Development Goals with the support of World Vision and other Board members. Seed funding was provided by various organisations including Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
B4D continued advocating business models that are inclusive, gaining the interest of early adopters. We began working in partnership with several businesses, undertaking feasibility studies designed to shift business models by achieving food security and agriculture development in smallholder farming communities across Asia-Pacific and Africa.
Advocacy was embedded in our approach as program delivery intensified, with several feasibility studies progressing to execution – a critical transition point for programs.
The past few years have seen a shift in mindset from ‘startup’ to ‘scale’ as our programs matured. Investments have been made to ensure our organisation has a strong foundation of the right people, culture, systems and processes to support the next stage.
Business for Development started as Business for Millennial Development in 2007 with a vision to motivate Australian businesses to implement strategies in their operations to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Since then, Business for Development has expanded our remit beyond advocacy to include executing feasibility studies, implementing and scaling programs and conducting research.
Below outlines our history, where we have been and where we are going.
| 2007 | Stage 1 Advocating |
| 2007 | Established to advocate for Millennium Development Goals |
| 2009 | Partnering with business |
| 2010 | Stage 2 Turning intentions into action |
| 2013 | Funding shifts from government to private |
| 2014 | Stage 3 Delivering programs and localising teams |
| 2014 | First implementation program |
| 2015 | Renamed Business for Development, SDG aligned |
| 2017 | Geographic expansion |
| 2020 | Stage 4 Scaling for Impact |
| 2021 | Scaling in country beyond COVID-19 |
Karen has a 30-year background in engineering, banking, IT, consulting and change management, and specialises in helping companies solve complex issues and develop strategic opportunities.
John has more than 20 years’ experience in the food and agribusiness industry, having held a variety of executive management positions.
Lester brings practical agronomic skills in the production of rice, animal husbandry (both poultry and pigs), and vegetable production.
With a background in governance, Eddy is leading the Business for Development Kenyan team, working to build impactful and sustainable value chains.
Deb is an experienced program manager who thrives on exploring messy, complex information, translating it into actionable insights and using these learnings to drive change.
Morris has extensive experience in crop agronomy and the development of smallholder agribusiness.
Meg is a program manager with hands-on experience in international development, partnership development, sustainability, strategic marketing and communications.
Elias has a solid management capacity in participatory resources management with a strong focus on protecting and improving environmental assets such as soils, water, vegetation, biodiversity, and wildlife habitats and linking them to better community livelihoods and wellbeing.
Eliud has more than a decade of hands-on experience in the livestock sector. He has previously worked for agri-focused companies including Kenya Bixa and Kenchic.
Saumu supports all aspects of administration. She manages requirements at a project level and is the lead business analyst in the application of new technologies for the Kenyan team.
Thomas has extensive experience in building the capacities of local communities, who depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
Skilled at solving problems creatively and mitigating risk, Samanta knows how to deliver exceptional results under pressure.
Besides his extensive agronomic knowledge, Solomon brings expertise in farm management and new venture planning to the PNG team.
Isidor is an expert in organic, integrated and related farm management, as well as specialising in livestock and stockfeed.
Doug is an accomplished public company director with more than 40 years’ experience in agriculture and food industries.
James is based in London, where he holds the role of Global Head – Research & Analysis, Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, GTFD at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. He is a seasoned board director and has deep experience in the commodity sectors spanning oil and gas, mining and metals and agribusiness.
Karen has a 30-year background in engineering, banking, IT, consulting and change management, and specialises in helping companies solve complex issues and develop strategic opportunities.
Andrew is a global agribusiness leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the field. He has gained extensive agricultural and business insights through his work internationally, including with smallholder growers in Asia and Africa.
Peter is the Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at IAG. He has advised at TransGrid, QBE Insurance Group, Woolworths, WMC Resources and BHP.
Over his career, Chris has held a number of senior positions within the resource and infrastructure sector. Chris is a Non-Executive Director of Westpac.
Gerry is a Director of Food, Beverage and Agribusiness in ANZ Bank’s Institutional division. He has extensive experience in both Australia and Asia spanning the natural resources, commodity and agri-food and fibre sectors.
Stuart specialises in business processes and drivers, coupled with ecological and conservation outcomes.
Ross has spent over 40 years undertaking veterinary work around the world with businesses, institutions, universities, farms, governments and the UN.
Laiza designs Economic, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies, specialising in stakeholder negotiation and engagement and program implementation.
Isaac specialises in designing and building sustainable businesses.
Richard helps companies move beyond traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to become primary agents for delivering societal and shareholder value.
Brad provides a digital lens to programs, breaking down large complex problems and finding solutions that meet each unique situational constraint.
Pete provides insights into how businesses go through strategic change and growth.
In response to COVID-19, Business for Development has taken precautionary measures as an organisation in relation to our people, clients, markets, and communities. Our priority is to serve smallholders and protect everyone we work with including our teams.
With our vision front of mind – to leave a legacy of sustainable businesses in the communities where we operate – we continue to work with a steadfast resolve to keep our programs running. From supplying seeds to training in the field, all work is done following strict COVID-19 protective protocols.
Our work depends on our partnerships. The resolve and leadership from our partners has been unwavering. Despite their business pressures, they have continued to support their commitments, and for this, we cannot thank them enough.
Business for Development is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and a signatory of the ACFID Code of Conduct. ACFID is the peak Council for Australian not-for-profit aid and development organisations.
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