Naoko Felder-Kuzu is an advisor on microfinance and impact investments based in Zurich, Switzerland. She advises asset managers as well as foundations. Her first book Making Sense-Microfinance and Microfinance Investments, (2004, Murman Verlag) which is also available in German and Japanese was one of the first books on microfinance investments. In her second book "Kleiner Einsatz, Grosse Wirkung" (2008, rueffer and rub) or Microfinance and Beyond: Introducing microfranchising and social businesses she portrays the innovative social/businesses models that provide sustainable solutions to the problem of poverty. Her expertise and passion is on promoting business models with a double bottom line (financial and social returns) and bridging the economic divide through the creation of entrepreneurs in developing countries. She is a board member of a family foundation in Switzerland and in charge of the social investment management for Socential a start up linking social entrepreneurs to investors.
Prior to her specialization in microfinance investments, Naoko Felder-Kuzu worked for 16 years in senior positions in the financial industry. She worked for Baring Securities in Tokyo, then in Zurich as a fund manager for Japanese equities at Vontobel Asset Management and at Nomura Bank in Zurich heading the asset management department.
Born in Japan and raised in El Salvador and Guatemala, Naoko Felder-Kuzu returned to Japan to attend the International Christian University in Tokyo where she majored in communication studies. She speaks fluent English, Spanish and Japanese and has a good knowledge base of German and Italian. She has been living near Zurich since 1988.
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