Greg Binkert, a former Swiss diplomat and World Bank Country Director, is leading efforts as Managing Director of BD consulting & investment to create lasting change in Africa through investments in industrial parks and solar energy projects. His work is driving industrialization, creating jobs, and offering access to clean energy in Mozambique. A seasoned expert in international development finance, Greg has more than 30 years of experience in managing complex infrastructure and human development projects.
Although he deals with finance, Greg believes that success is not just about making money. “One of my main objectives is to do impact investment,” he says. It not only generates financial returns but also creates beneficial social and environmental impact. He also feels it is a success when the company he invested in succeeds, and exists and grows even after he and his team exit. However, what truly sets Greg apart from other leaders in his field is not his success, but his respect for everyone. Whether he is engaging with a government official, a peasant, or a worker, he treats everyone with equal respect. This, along with his impact investing and remarkable track record, has made him a leader to admire, follow, and learn from. Greg is a trailblazer in every sense of the word.
The Professional Journey
Greg studied development economics and then trained as a diplomat. After earning his PhD in Applied Economics from Stanford University, he joined the Swiss Government and served as a diplomat in Mozambique. In 1998, Greg moved to the World Bank, which shifted his focus to development finance. He primarily focused on infrastructure projects – airports, electricity, ports, railways, and urban. “The electricity projects were very important and dear to my heart,” Greg says.
In 2016, Greg left the World Bank and moved into private sector finance. He founded BD consulting & investment. According to him, what he does now is more commercial-oriented. BD consulting & investment allows him to work with African entrepreneurs both in the finance sector and the real economy sector. “I have also worked in other regions, such as Central Asia and Latin America, but for the last many years, I have been working in Africa,” Greg says. Currently, he and his team are in the process of fundraising for the solar power plant in Mozambique.
Greg is excited about the prospects in Africa, as there are huge opportunities for finance in the continent. He points out that they have a mandate for the Middle East as well. This is another region with huge potential. For example, he serves on the Advisory Board of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Privatization and Public-Private Partnerships. Saudi Arabia intends to diversify its economy away from oil, and Greg and his team are working on regulatory frameworks and strategies to attract private investment. He is enthusiastic about this opportunity.
Greg credits his mentors for his success. He says that they taught him, directed him toward the right path, and encouraged him to keep dreaming and seeing the big picture.
A Career Dotted with Achievements
In his stellar career, Greg has many achievements to his credit. He is particularly proud of the jobs created, especially for young people and technically skilled workers, because of their investments in industrial parks. In 2017, when, under his leadership, BD consulting created a consortium with local equity partners and took over an industrial park in Mozambique, it had about 2,500 jobs. “We’re now at 10,000 jobs created in that industrial park,” Greg points out. It attracted around $3 billion in investment. The group also set up a youth internship program. Greg informs us that more than 1,500 young people, including 45% women, have completed their internship. Of these, 60% have secured permanent jobs.
Greg also recalls that some companies in which he participated as a shareholder have done extremely well. Greg says, “I made good money, but importantly, the companiesalso did well and continue to exist.”
For example, in the 1990s, he was part of a group of investors that set up a commercial bank, BCI, in Mozambique. “I was a minority shareholder. The majority of the local group were Mozambican investors. We formed a joint venture with a large Portuguese bank to create BCI. It became the second-largest bank in Mozambique.” “After ten years, we sold the bank to another investor group at an attractive profit for the original investors.” BCI continues to be the second largest bank in Mozambique.
Greg has extensive experience in infrastructure finance. His major accomplishment in this field is Cameroon’s Lom Pangar Dam Project. When Greg was the World Bank Country Director for Cameroon, he managed to get approval for this hydroelectric retention dam, the largest in the country. It was built on time and within budget. In the same year, the World Bank Group approved the financing of natural gas-fired power plant in Kribi, Southern Cameroon. And, Greg points out that just in four years’ time, the dam and thermal power station had improved the electricity situation in Cameroon tremendously. “It changed the electricity landscape of the country,” he says. “When I left Cameroon, they had 30% more electricity generation than when I arrived.”
From Consulting to Board Membership
Greg has seen BD consulting & investment evolve over the years. He has also evolved with it. Initially, he accepted more consulting assignments. For example, he worked with Boston Consulting Group and Bain Consulting to advise on strategic assignments in Gulf countries. Now, his focus is more on direct investment. Through BD consulting, he has been involved in projects such as industrial parks, a solar power plant, and other investments.
In the last three to four years, new opportunities have opened up for Greg. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Monter Capital Partnership Ltd. (Zambia). “I’m also a board member of Emerging Africa Capital Group, a financial services firm in Lagos, Nigeria,” Greg says. These roles have offered him the opportunity to be more involved in the financial sector.
Monter Capital, a regulated investment firm, focuses on alternative investments, which means investments in actual companies. “You don’t just invest in financial papers, which is perfectly legitimate, but the focus is on investing in real companies, and making them grow,” Greg explains. The objective is to create a positive economic impact and long-term value for their stakeholders. Emerging Africa Capital, on the other hand, offers a range of financial services to its clients. The company’s objective is to grow Africa’s economy through sustainable financing and investing solutions. The Financial Times has recently ranked it as the 47th in its list of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for the years 2020-23.
Brief Introduction to BD consulting
BD consulting & investment is a private limited company registered in Switzerland, established in 2016. They operate from Switzerland and have invested in companies in Southern Africa. BD consulting has been developing a business portfolio that targets “access to energy and job creation through industrialization.” They share the vision of the UN sustainable development agenda and place people and their environment at the center of their business.
According to Greg, their investments in industrial parks and special economic zones over the last several years have performed very well. He also points out that it is also a challenging time for them, as they are currently looking to build industrial parks or special economic zones outside of Mozambique — in other African countries. “We are in the process of putting together the business plans, making the necessary contacts, and finding the appropriate partners. That would be our next step in this line of business,” he says. Additionally, they are in talks with partners to develop more solar power plants.
Over the years, BD consulting’s networks have grown as well. For example, it is a member of the Swiss-African Business Circle (SABC), an independent association promoting business contacts and links between Switzerland and Africa. Through his Mozambican company, he is also a member of AEZO – the African Economic Zones Organization with its secretariat in Morocco.
Responsibilities and Work-Life Balance
Greg’s work requires him to travel. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he travels less frequently than before as he learned to conduct business by internet. Still, traveling remains an essential aspect of his responsibility as Managing Director. It allows him to maintain direct contact.
Structuring different projects and networking are two of his primary responsibilities. He networks within Switzerland as well as outside the country. “International networking is very important,” he says. For example, he is attending the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to build connections and explore partnerships.
For Greg, maintaining work-life balance has been both a challenge and not a challenge. He does not mind working extra hours because he loves what he does.
“I love my job from my heart,” he says. “I love it when I’m working. It’s my passion. I am meeting amazing people. It’s fun, and I feel satisfied.” So, the thought that he needs to be compensated for the overtime never crosses his mind. “For me, there is no concept of overtime,” he says. “I am just focused on achieving certain objectives.”
However, Greg understands that health is important too. So, he takes some time out of his hectic schedule to unwind and recharge. He unwinds by swimming, riding his bicycle, or hiking on weekends. He also invites friends for dinner or attends the dinners organized by them. This helps Greg maintain friendships with friends who are not part of his professional circle.
Plans for the Future
Greg intends to expand BD consulting. He is looking for partners as well. He points out that they need to grow bigger if they want to achieve their vision – ideas or dreams – and focus on infrastructure. According to Greg, they are seeking to create partnerships where they can play a useful part.
Greg has expertise in government relationships for projects. Coordination is required for these projects to work. Greg explains that there needs to be coordination between all the key stakeholders; for example, government, investors, and companies, which can be mining, manufacturing, or service. “We must bring them together and make it work,” he adds. He is already working with a number of people, including African investment bankers. Greg points out that they have a tremendous track record in what they have created over the last 20 years. “So, I want to work more with them and continue expanding the idea of industrial parks and special economic zones, places where we create jobs, build up manufacturing, and establish the conditions for value addition in a country,” Greg says. The vision is that Africa should process its minerals and agricultural products domestically, instead of exporting them raw, mainly to Asia. This would create millions of jobs and reduce the pressures to migrate to Europe or the Middle East.
Greg, a philanthropist at heart, has supported the art space quite a bit over the last 30 years. “I have always invested in it, not to make money but to support it,” he says. He also used the World Bank office in Yaounde to host art exhibitions. This is something he also enjoys very much. Now, as his business progresses, he wants to support African art and the creative industry. “I have friends in the creative industry, such as fashion and music and know many African painters and sculptors,” Greg says.
“For me. It’s not how to maximize profit, it’s how to maximize impact in art, culture, and the creative industry,” he adds. “Life is a lot more than manufacturing or processing minerals.”
Message to Aspiring Leaders
“There are many opportunities out there, so keep trying,” is Greg’s advice to aspiring leaders. He encourages them to have a clear vision, be self-confident, and listen. Along with that, he underscores the importance of recognizing their limitations. “You don’t have all the answers,” he says. “If you think you do, you’re not going to go very far and will not have many people around you.” He advises aspiring leaders work with other talented individuals.
“If you think you’re the only smart person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong meeting,” Greg says. “You should be in meetings where there are other smart people.”
Dreams Achieved, But Still More to Achieve!
Greg grew up in a small town in Switzerland, which had a population of 2,000 people. His father never attended high school, he made an apprenticeship, but later he ran a business. Coming from such a background, he never thought that he would make it to Harvard and get a PhD with a fully funded fellowship at Stanford. “That has never been part of my dreams. But then the infrastructure projects and all the things that I’ve done, I never dreamt of it, and yet it happened,” he says. My life’s journey has taken many unexpected turns.
So, Greg believes he has achieved a lot more than he ever hoped for or thought was possible, but at the same time, his dreams have also been bigger than what he has achieved. “I still have big dreams – and they are getting bigger,” Greg says.
Greg’s journey is a testament to the power of vision, integrity, and inclusive growth. As he looks to expand his impact in Africa and beyond, his story inspires a new generation of leaders to pursue development not just as a goal, but as a shared mission.
