Peter Burgess Connections ... LinkedIn
Jody Rasch

Jody Rasch ... Senior Vice Pesident at Moody's Corporation ... Greater New York City Area ... Financial Services

Burgess COMMENTARY
Invitation sent: Invitation accepted

Follow up ... thank you and if I can help!

Peter Burgess Founder/CEO at TrueValueMetrics To: Jody Rasch Date: April 27, 2013

Dear Jody

I was really happy when I learned from LinkedIn that you were a painter. I find this a lot more encouraging than what most of the other alternatives might have been for a successful member of the staff of Moody's!

Though I talk a lot about 'being an accountant' my mind set has been influenced by my early interest in science and engineering ... and I did work at one point in a 'drawing office' where the challenge was to draw things that actually could be manufactured or built on the project site ... my company did really heavy engineering, like steel mills, blast furnaces, chemical plant and nuclear stuff. But I gave that up because I wanted to have more 'influence' and that meant having some sort of accounting qualification. I joined Cooper Brothers as an Articled Clerk and the rest is history.

Fast forward about 25 years and I was doing work in developing countries for the World Bank, the UN and others. As an accountant I was ... and still am ... appalled at the disconnect between what is going on and observable on the ground and what the data seems to show. Most developing countries have been able to create huge wealth for a few, and almost nothing for everyone else. The reasons are pretty clear ... but nothing gets done about it. In my own case I have tried to address some of the issues, and have on three separate occasions been told to 'shut up' or I will be going home in a box. The international development establishment has talked about transparency and corruption for nearly thirty years, but only tiny progress has been made ... and I would argue that perhaps the problem is bigger now than it was years ago.

So what to do?

I think there is an opportunity to start doing something I call TrueValueMetrics or value accounting. All economic activity consumes resources or value and creates outputs that are money revenue and money profit AND various impacts for people, for community, for society and for planet. All of these should be aggregated or consolidated for the implementing organization and also for the community. Same data added up for different reporting entities. Organizations are now faced with both money profit performance and social impact performance in one system. Communities can look at what the various initiatives located in the community are doing ... or not doing.

Over the past 50 years money profit performance in the business sector has been impressive. During the same period the progress for people, community and planet has been unimpressive or even downright awful ... but not measured very well.

What I know of the impact of Grameen and BRAC and micro-up micro-initiatives is pretty good ... as well as many other social impact MFIs around the world. I am very uncomfortable with the money profit metrics that are increasingly being applied to judge MFI performance ... and especially uncomfortable because I cannot see any metrics that I can review to help me really understand what is going on.

I get the feeling it is time for accountants to embrace fractal arithmetic ... because simple arithmetic about money is not enough. I have some ideas that might be able to be implemented in the ubiquitous mobile SMS environment ... but I am not sure I can pull it off. I intend to try. There is nothing to lose, and a lot to gain.

Clearly I am unhappy with the status quo ... created over a period of some 50 years ... and trying to think 'outside the box' to see what might be done. I am fortunate to be old enough not to have to worry about my 'career' ... it is already finished ... so I have the Freedom to try things without worrying too much about the impact on my career!

Sorry to go on for so long ... but trying to put 50 years into a few sentences is pretty tough!

If I can help in any way ... I am willing ... if not particularly able!

Peter
Peter Burgess

Jody Rasch
Senior Vice Pesident at Moody's Corporation
Greater New York City Area
Financial Services
Current Moody's Corporation, Raschart
Previous Wide Circle Fund, Wide Learning, Financial Directions Inc
Education New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business
205 connections
www.linkedin.com/in/jodyrasch

Background

Summary

Paintings Slideshow Experience Senior Vice President Moody's Corporation March 2002 – Present (11 years 2 months) Quantitative Research and Analytics Group • Responsible for evaluating new initiatives and making recommendations to senior management • Working with Global Funds Group to develop a product in Socially Responsible Investing. • Working with BankingGroup to develop an approach to rating microfinance institutions. • Manage various products including the corporate and banking financial analysis products • Responsible for the development and implementation of Moody’s analytical risk rating tools for residential mortgages and private companies. • Work with research, marketing, and sales to help design, develop and deliver the product to customers. Managed Funds Group • Advised Managed Funds Group on issues related to the use of derivative products by their clients. • Member of the Credit Policy Committee. Vice President/Training Director 3/02 – 2/04 • Designed, developed, and delivered courses on capital markets and corporate finance. Painter Raschart 1983 – Present (30 years) Duality – abstraction and representation, the literal and the metaphorical, science and mysticism, mortality and existence, the unseen and the seen – is a predominant theme in my work. These pieces, based on electron microscopy, are an expression of both the patterns of the natural world and the metaphors underlying modern science. They allow us to see the beauty in the repulsive, to find knowledge in the unknown, to observe the microscopic to more clearly see our world. Among the dualities explored is the contrast between the beauty of microscopic images of deathly viruses and the reality they represent. In confronting the duality of the microcosmos, we are forced to face our mortality while appreciating the magnificence of the universe. Principal Wide Circle Fund 2008 – 2009 (1 year) Wide Circle Fund’s objective is to invest in companies that support a vegan lifestyle. The purpose of this is threefold: • To provide investors with a competitive return on investment • To provide capital for vegan-oriented enterprises • To allow investors to align their investments with their ethical values VP Wide Learning 2000 – 2002 (2 years) Responsible for: Setting global priorities with other senior managers, coordinating sales and marketing for the US; developing new products and seminars; developing integrated classroom and e-learning training programs Principal Financial Directions Inc March 1986 – November 2000 (14 years 9 months) Description: Co-Founder of Financial Directions Inc, a provider of senior level training to international banks. FDI’s clients include J.P. Morgan, Chase, ABN/AMRO, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Scotia Bank, Deutsche Bank, and others. • Designed and conducted training programs for commercial, investment, and private bankers. • Marketed FDI’s services to senior bankers in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. • Developed and implemented business plans for the company. • Advised clients on the design and development of training programs • Managed senior trainers and support staff to coordinate the delivery and marketing of the company’s services. Analyst Business International 1982 – 1983 (1 year) Skills & Expertise 10Capital Markets 9Investments 7Corporate Finance 5Financial Modeling 5Financial Analysis 3Derivatives Education New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business 1978 – 1981 University of Michigan BA, Economics 1975 – 1978 Recommendations Given (5) Bill Stanton Production Manager Bill is a very creative person and easy to work with. I find he is willing to take on new and interesting projects and has been very helpful using his abilities not only within the company, but to help in the non-profit world as well. I have enjoyed working with Bill. March 17, 2012, Jody worked with Bill at Moody's Corporation Philip Gentile Sourcing & Procurement Phil and I worked together on a number of projects and he was always great to work with. November 10, 2011, Jody worked with Philip at Moody's James Henley Analyst Jim was not only excellent at his job, but also innovative and very willing to learn. He was well respected by the people he managed as well as the most senior officers within the company. It was a pleasure to work with him. May 19, 2011, Jody managed James at Moody's Investors Service Janet Hayes AVP Moody's Training Services Janet is an extremely hard working and intelligent individual. At Moody's she significantly expanded our public conference business, particularly given the restrictions of budget and staffing. She is a goal oriented individual and I enjoy working with her. October 15, 2008, Jody worked with Janet at Moody's Investor Services John Lundeen Vice President John was excellent at managing the relationships we had with our clients. He managed many projects to a high quality and was well liked both by his coworkers and our clients. July 24, 2008, Jody managed John at Wide Learning Financial Directions See More ConnectionsShared (6) Adrian Gonzalez1st Senior Specialist at The World Bank Howard J. Finkelstein1st Founder, Law Offices of Howard J. Finkelstein Sarah Miller1st Engagement Manager at Justmeans Olga Serhiyevich1st Product Manager- Emerging Markets at PIMCO Kathleen Stack1st Vice President at Freedom from Hunger Isabelle Barres1st VP and Director, The Smart Campaign, Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International PREVIOUSNEXT Groups Art Collecting Network Join Art Investment Join CGAP, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor Join Global Partnership Initiative Join Microfinance Investment Leadership Join Responsible Investor Join Scientist Artist Collaborations Join The Vegan Fund Join Following Financial Services 336,424 followers Follow Moody's Investors Service Financial Services Follow