President of Luxembourg Microfinance Development Fund since 2018, Raymond Schadeck also chairs Luxexpo the Box and Investing for Development Sicav and sits on the boards of Banque Raiffeisen, Minusines, CDCL, Deveco, SnapSwap, Intesa SanPaolo Int Holding, Banca Intesa Beograd and Private Equity Int. From 2011 to 2019 he was vice president of the Superior Council for Sustainable Development. He also chaired the ILA from 2015 to 2019. At the same time, he is president of the UP Foundation, member of the board of the EME Foundation, of Infino ASBL and of EPI ASBL. He also sits on the board of the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative. Since July 2020 ,Schadeck has chaired the Board of Regents of the Welch College of Business & Technology of the Sacred Heart University in Luxembourg and L’Université dans la Nature in Montreal.

What is your favourite food?

: Kniddelen mat Speck! Yes, tastes change but it has been one of my favourite dishes for over 60 years.

Your favourite restaurant in Luxembourg?

. I think I can say that I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years, the owner has become a friend. He has a great offer of stable quality at reasonable prices, a superb team that is also very loyal and a superb terrace in the countryside five minutes from Kirchberg. The only downside is that he doesn't yet offer my favourite beer.

Which is?

.

What role do you think physical appearance plays in your professional world?

It is not the physical appearance that makes a woman or a man valuable! Throughout my life I have been guided by my perception of a person's values, both professionally and privately. And yes, of course I have accepted the risk of being wrong, which has rarely been the case, however.

Have professional dress codes become a thing of the past?

Yes. The younger generation has changed its values and the sustainable development aspects are increasingly taking precedence, even in dress codes!

What would be your favourite carnival costume?

Clown - and yes, I am one of those who likes to laugh and make people laugh and spread positive vibes.

What was the last trip you took?

Iceland. I've never seen a country with so many different landscapes. It's a real eye-opener!

What is your dream destination?

Kashmir. It is for me the perfect symbiosis of landscapes and cultures. Sights and people that are engraved in my head for a long time! If ever there was a paradise on earth, it must be there...

What is the place that rejuvenates you more than anything else?

The forest! I grew up in the forest! That's where we built our first hiding places, that's where we made our first mistakes, that's where we smoked our first cigarettes, exchanged our first kisses and so on. A sort of refuge that also proved to be a distraction, helping me to find solutions to a lot of problems, where I retreated to prepare for exams or to make career decisions. And above all to make me understand that we humans are part of nature and are not an element outside of nature.

A character or someone who inspires you on a daily basis and why?

. In 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, when she was 12 years old, she gave a speech very similar to Greta Thunberg's in 2018-2019, and has never stopped her ecological fight since. She had agreed to be the speaker at an event at Luxexpo the Box in spring 2020; an event that unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the health crisis.

A quote from you?

It's a quote from Coluche from more than 40 years ago: ‘The doors of the future are open to those who know how to push them’. It has never been as relevant as it is now, at all levels. It is vital, really vital, to push open other doors if we want to offer a future to future generations.

A film that moved you to tears?

Tears of laughter! with Jacques Villeret and Thierry Lhermitte.

An artist or author who has influenced your professional choices?

with his books Homo Sapiens, Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

What was the last piece of music you downloaded or bought physically?

My first album in 1972: 's Harvest with the song 'Heart of Gold' which still resonates with new generations.

Latest download: 'Mesdames' by - a very sobering ode, and one that I share 100%, to women, their courage and beauty!

A favourite artist or band?

with his songs inspired by themes of social consciousness such as humanity, environment and the rights of indigenous people... in short a sustainable development activist!

This article was originally published by and has been translated for Delano