Blake Goud

Blake Goud has been the CEO of the RFI Foundation since the organization’s incorporation in 2015. The RFI Foundation works to connect responsible finance and Islamic finance together, and to support its members’ adoption of responsible finance practices and their integration into the global responsible finance industry.

Blake has more than a decade experience researching Islamic finance and working in in a compliance and investment officer role in the finance industry. He was the Chief Research Officer for ME Global Advisors where he focused on MENA financial sector development and the growth of the Islamic economy. He was responsible for leading ME Global Advisors’ research efforts as well as advising on the content of the events organized by ME Global Advisors.

He was the Community Leader for the Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Gateway from 2012 to 2015. At Thomson Reuters, he conducted research and was the lead author for a number of widely referenced reports on the Islamic finance and Islamic economy sectors, he was involved in organizing large-scale events and one-on-one sessions including IILM roundtables in London and Washington, DC and the Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai, UAE.

His published research includes papers on incorporating environmental, social & governance (ESG) within Islamic finance, Islamic microfinance, renewable energy microfinance and Islamic public finance. He received his B.A. in Economics from Reed College in 2003.