Real Asset Media adds foreign direct investment to its brief

Real Asset Media appoints RonCourtney Fingar, a leading global expert on foreign direct investment (FDI) has joined Real Asset Media as a contributing editor and will help lead the group’s move into greater coverage of the intersection between FDI, real assets and impact investment.

The appointment comes as the FDI market evolves beyond a strict focus on greenfield corporate direct investment (defined as the setting up of physical on-the-ground facilities by a company in a country outside its home base) and as the government entities charged with attracting FDI are increasingly being expected to widen their remits and engage institutional investors to drive investment in urban developments, infrastructure and real estate projects, and other public schemes. There is also a greater focus on the promotion of ESG-compliant and sustainable investments.

“The realm of FDI is expanding and there is a necessary educational process the market and its protagonists are going through as a result,” Ms Fingar commented. “I am delighted to work with Real Asset Media to explore this evolution in more depth.”

As part of the collaboration, Fingar will author regular columns in Real Asset IMPACT and INSIGHT magazines, and develop and chair new event series for the group.

In addition to being one of the world’s leading voices on issues related to FDI, Courtney Fingar is a veteran business journalist with more than 20 years of media experience.

She has covered business stories in all major regions of the world and has been on assignment to more than 80 countries, interviewing heads of state and government ministers as well as business leaders. Most recently the editor-in-chief of Investment Monitor, a digital publication focused on cross-border investment, she previously spent 15 years with the Financial Times where she ran the group’s specialist FDI publication.

In early 2023, she set up Fingar Direct Investment, a boutique consultancy advising governments on investment promotion, location marketing and content creation. She is also a senior consultant with the Economic Innovation Practice Group (EIPG), an advisory group focused on economic development, FDI, market entry and trade. She also serves as regional director for Europe and communications advisor for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, the main global body representing national government agencies charged with the attraction of inward investment.

“FDI is at the beginning of a transformation as countries, regions and cities look towards institutional capital for inward investment into both infrastructure and urban transformation projects. As a leading global expert on FDI, Courtney is perfectly placed to share her expertise and insights with our readers and viewers and support our drive to build the important bridge between FDI, institutional investors and real assets in Real FDI,” said Real Asset Media founding partner and group publisher Richard Betts.