The Emerging World Story

Matthew Farmer, founder and CEO of Emerging World, tells us about his journey...

“About 10 years ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend some time working with an organisation in the developing world that was seeking to eradicate poverty in a really interesting way.

“I found myself in rural Mexico, helping an NGO with some business planning and forecasting. They, in return, helped me appreciate that the business world (as I knew it) and the international development field were inextricably linked. I also learnt that my skills were transferable and very much in need.

“This got me thinking. How could I find more ways of providing business skills to organisations working in the developing world? How could I share my new found confidence in my abilities to work in challenging circumstances and replicate my own experience as a learning and development opportunity for others?

“Soon after Mexico I undertook an MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona and straight afterwards set up Adopt a Business with the help of some of my classmates. Eight years on and our clients include major multinationals such as Microsoft, Ernst & Young and IBM. We’ve supported partners in over 14 different emerging markets around the world across four continents – Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe. And the exciting thing is, I really believe we’ve only just started...”