Marc de Sousa-Shields
Enterprising Solutions Global Consulting
“Financing Microfinance, Social Investment And Specialized Investment Funds”

Biography:

Marc de Sousa-Shields is a Partner and the Director of Project Development for Enterprising Solutions Global Consulting, an international development consulting firm specializing in enterprising solutions for social, environmental and economically sustainable development.

Marc's work in sustainable development has focused on social and environmental investment, microfinance and small and medium sized business development in developing countries. In addition to technical consultancies, Marc has also led a number of leading-edge research projects, including several focusing on MFI finance, social investment in emerging markets, MFI housing products, and commercial bank downscaling to microfinance.

Marc was a co-founder and the Executive Director of the Social Investment Organization in Canada, treasurer of an innovative community credit union, Director of Social Investment at a national bank in Canada, and co-founder of the Morelos Forum, an international think tank on global social investment issues .

Marc has a BA and MA in regional economic development.

Marc is married to Tonia de Sousa-Shields whose family is originally from Goa in India but passed two generations in Hong Kong, where Tonia was born, before moving to Canada. Their two children Mateus (2.5 yrs) and Zoe (6 months), were born in Mexico gives them Canadian Irish-Goan-Hong Kong decent, with Mexican God parents and a taste for spicy candies and tacos. It seems Marc's involvement in international development was genetically scripted and Tonia assures the world that Marc was once a Mexican peasant woman in another life (due to his fondness for warm, hand made tortilla with salt, cream, and garlic-chilli sauce)..