Robert Rubinstein

Although born in Brooklyn, New York, Robert Rubinstein is a longtime resident of The Netherlands. So, back in 1999, when he founded a company to introduce the thenradical concept of sustainable investing, it seemed only natural to name it after his distant former hometown: Brooklyn Bridge – Connections to the Future B.V. (BB).

The concept behind this company was the introduction of TBLI – Triple Bottom Line Investing. From its early days, the aim of this small company was and is unabashedly global: It seeks nothing less than to reeducate the financial world. TBLI is a concept that Rubinstein pioneered, which puts forward the notion that a truly sound investment is one that provides, not just financial rewards, but social and environmental ones, too. With success, since the concept has now become a household name in the financial world.

The small Brooklyn Bridge company evolved into an entire holding: TBLI GROUP™. The holding, still based in Amsterdam, assists companies, institutions, NGOs and individuals who wish to institutionalize sustainability. TBLI GROUP is an international knowledge broker, continuously building and expanding a global network for parties who share the same goals. It works to educate a new generation of managers and investors aware of the concept of TBLI, or Triple Bottom Line -- investing in “people, planet, and profit” -- and its close relative, ESG, or “Environmental, Social and Governance Issues”.

For the past twenty years, Rubinstein, the CEO of TBLI GROUP, has been instrumental in integrating ESG and TBLI into the culture and strategy of international corporate business and investment companies. He has taught courses in sustainable finance at the Rotterdam School of Management and currently delivers lectures at international Business Schools and universities, and provides TBLI consulting and training for investment firms, pension funds, hedge funds, and international businesses, through what is now TBLI CONSULTING™, a full daughter-company of TBLI GROUP.

A second daughter-company and brand name is TBLI CONFERENCE™, organizer of the largest comprehensive international networking and education opportunity on ESG and investing in the world, held each year in both Europe and Asia.

Rubinstein is a charismatic public speaker on both TBLI and ESG at conferences and business meetings, and has spoken extensively and provided training on Sustainable Finance. TBLI ACADEMY™ was created to provide the financial sector with sustainable finance education.

Rubinstein, who lives in Amsterdam with his wife and two sons, has been the founding publisher/editor of five magazines, the most recent of which was Source, the first European management magazine devoted exclusively to corporate social responsibility.

Rubinstein was Chairman of the Swift Prize of the King Boudewijn Foundation and a commissioner for the State of the World Commission on Globalization. He serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the International Center for Corporate Accountability, the Ethical Markets TV editorial advisory board, IMSA (International Sustainability Consultancy), the 3IG-International Interfaith Investment Group, the BNP Paribas Investments SRI fund, the Developments Alternatives Advisory Council and the ASN Foundation.