Meet our Leaders…Bénigne Du Parc
Meet our leaders….Bénigne de Parc
Good Return’s Program Director
BIO
Benigne is responsible for oversight of Good Return’s programs across the Asia-Pacific region.
With over 25 years of relevant experience, spanning microfinance specialist and operations manager with PlaNet Finance; and including director-level experience with other NGOs; establishment of two social impact investment funds; and country representative for Entrepreneurs du Monde in the Philippines.
Q&A
We sat down with Bénigne to talk about his career journey to date.
Tell us about a career highlight or a proud moment from your career
I often go back to my first role in 1998, when I worked as a General Secretary of BELACD de Pala, a local NGO in south-west Chad, Central Africa. Pala was a town of only 25,000 people, with no electricity and no phone lines at the time. I was in the role for two years, following a line of other “young, white men” who had held the position before me.
From the outset, I was determined to break this cycle of foreign management. My goal was to identify and support a local leader who could take over when my contract ended. This was no small challenge, as most educated people were leaving for N’Djamena, the capital.
After many conversations and much persistence with the NGO’s management, I was thrilled to find Pierre, a young, educated and deeply capable local leader. He stepped into the role after my departure and went on to lead the organisation for many years.
At the time, we didn’t call this “localisation” - but the idea was already in the air. I’m proud to have played a small part in helping make that shift possible.
Do you have a person who has inspired you in your career?
Allow me to do a double response here!
The first part of my career is closely tied to Africa, a continent I often think of as having been like a mother to me - shaping the person I am today. I still vividly remember two conversations I had with farmers, one in Benin and another in Chad. In both, we spoke into the evening about the philosophy of life, development, and communities, amongst many other things. Though these conversations took place many years ago, they had a profound impact on me. I can’t summarise everything that was said and shared, only that they were simple, wise and filled with genuine human connection.
Another major source of inspiration has been Stuart Rutherford, a pioneer of various socially- oriented microfinance projects, including the remarkable “SafeSave” project in Bangladesh. His books - “The poor and their money” and “Portfolios of the Poor” - were eye-opening and profoundly shaped my understanding of how vulnerable people are managing their money under extreme circumstances.
Can you share a humourous moment from your career to date?
In 2015, I had just arrived in the Philippines, and it happened to be my 40th birthday on my first day with the team. When my new colleagues found out, they decided to surprise me. That afternoon, I walked into the kitchen and saw a huge round dish waiting for me. A pizza? I wondered. Instead, it was an enormous plate of spaghetti, piled high with tomato sauce, meatballs, and all the trimmings. It was my first cultural surprise in the Philippines! That day, I learned two things: (i) Filipinos are incredible food lovers, and (ii) the importance of “merienda”, the shared afternoon snack is a tradition not to be missed!