As part of National Pro Bono Week, Bankers without Borders is recognizing some of our outstanding volunteers whose commitment and dedication helps us fulfill our mission to connect the world's poor to their potential.
A banker with over 35 years of experience, Robert “Bob” Rout is currently the Executive Vice President, CFO & Treasurer of a large bank in Pennsylvania. Bob is a long time friend of Bankers without Borders (BwB) and a dedicated volunteer. Since 2011, he has donated his time and expertise on seven volunteer consulting engagements including:
- Financial Training for an MFI in Kenya.
- Account Reconciliation for Grameen Foundation Ghana and Uganda Offices.
- Developing financing for a clean cookstove social enterprise in Kenya.
- Product profitability modeling for a Philippines bank.
- Review of the business model of a new Non Bank Financial Company (NBFC) in India.
For Bob, volunteering with Bankers without Borders is an opportunity to use his skills to give back and make a difference. “After a successful career and the scattering of adult-aged children, Bankers without Borders provides an ideal platform to return some of those blessings. I cannot fix cleft palates, design clean water systems or develop innovative agricultural techniques, but I’ve found that my banking and financial experience is much appreciated in the developing world,” he said. “Each engagement has given me a true appreciation of our world's untapped potential to alleviate poverty, and hopefully my efforts have played a small part in that noble Grameen mission. The professionalism, skills, work ethic and commitment of the Grameen Foundation associates and partner organizations are unsurpassed in any that I have encountered in my professional experience. Each and every one is a global hero.”
The Paradigm Project is just one social enterprise to benefit from Bob’s knowledge and experience. “Bankers without Borders brought expertise and enthusiasm to our project that has exceeded all of our expectations. They spent the time with us to learn about all of our needs and crafted a project that would address them while creating a minimal burden on our time,” said Johanna Matocha, a Project Development Specialist at the Paradigm Project. “[He] treated this project and its results as though he were building something for his own business. We are already beginning to think about future collaborations with BwB to help us achieve an impact with our projects that we would not be able to reach working alone.”