Business and purpose in emerging markets

MENA countries are traditionally associated with oil and gas and lagging in tackling the climate crisis. However, despite criticism, mainly from sections of the Western world, the region has shown dynamism and taken some positive steps. The road is still long, but we must appreciate the progress being made. As I have experienced through hosting my podcast, The Sustainability Journey, I have always aimed to amplify diverse voices and gather insights from different regions, not just focusing on the so-called Global North activists and discourse. I believe sustainability should be a collective effort, with all regions contributing and coming on board to tackle a substantial planetary problem. This collective effort must be done without stigmatization but rather in a spirit of collaboration. I have met several changemakers in the MENA region focusing on purpose and sustainability. The road is certainly still long, but steps are being taken. Even looking at the B Corp movement, from just one B Corp, the number has increased to 12 recently, an indication, though minimal, of a changing landscape.

The region, in fact, is undergoing rapid transformation, and practitioners and academics alike are recognizing the effort, as highlighted in PwC's report Sustainability in the Middle East. In this context, I met with Roberta Calarese, the founder and CEO of GHAYA, a changemaker based in the UAE. With nearly 30 years of experience in the corporate world, she embarked on a transformative journey to create businesses that prioritize purpose alongside profit. Her vision extends beyond corporate success, aiming to establish a global impact through her purpose-driven strategy consulting firm, GHAYA, and its accompanying World With Purpose summit series.

Your journey towards leading with purpose has been transformative. Can you share the key moments that inspired you to launch GHAYA and World With Purpose?

In 2018, I reached a point where I felt deeply unsatisfied working for companies that saw profitability as their only driver. I had a successful career in the UAE, working with organizations where conversations rarely included people or the planet—it was always about the numbers. This narrow focus troubled me, and over time, my dissatisfaction grew, prompting me to resign. I sought something more meaningful, something driven by purpose that would serve both humanity and the environment.

A key turning point was attending Sadhguru’s Save Soil event, which crystallized my thinking around leadership with purpose. It wasn’t just about doing good; it was about transforming mindsets, particularly within the business sector. I realized that long-term global prosperity would require businesses to be at the table. This realization led to the birth of GHAYA.

As GHAYA grew, so did our vision for collaboration, which is how the World With Purpose summit series came to life. The inaugural event was hosted in the UAE in 2023 on the road to COP 28. It began as a conversation about building a global impact economy, and now, we are looking ahead to our next edition in Riyadh in 2025, focusing on family businesses and their legacy in global prosperity.

GHAYA’s mission is to align business with purpose, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. How do you envision businesses in the region shifting from profit-driven models to more purpose-driven strategies?

Achieving this shift requires a collective effort from all stakeholders—governments, corporations, family businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and civil society. Each brings something unique to the table, and all are essential to drive transformation.

Governments play a crucial role by creating regulatory frameworks and offering incentives for purpose-driven business models. In the UAE, initiatives like Vision 2030 and Net Zero 2050 are pushing companies to incorporate sustainability into their operations. Without such high-level direction, businesses may not feel the urgency to shift.

Family businesses, which dominate the regional economy, need to take bold steps to integrate purpose into their strategies and governance. This shift means moving beyond CSR and embedding sustainability and social impact into their core business models. They have the power to drive change, but they must rethink how they measure success.

Startups and entrepreneurs are often at the forefront of innovation, particularly in fields like renewable energy and agritech. Their agility allows them to disrupt traditional business models, making them key players in driving purpose-driven solutions.

Investors, too, have a critical role by prioritizing impact investments, channeling capital towards businesses and projects that deliver not only financial returns but also social and environmental value. By backing purpose-driven initiatives, they create a ripple effect across the business ecosystem.

Lastly, civil society and NGOs provide essential perspectives by advocating for broader societal and environmental needs. They help hold businesses accountable while ensuring that purpose-driven efforts remain focused on making a tangible, positive impact.

But none of this will happen without expanding the consciousness of leaders. Leaders must adopt new mindsets that recognize the interconnectedness of profit, people, and planet. At GHAYA, we facilitate collaboration between these diverse stakeholders, helping them see how their roles complement one another. By aligning purpose with profit, we can work together to build a sustainable future for the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

GHAYA aims to create global impact by fostering collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil society. Could you tell us more about the outcomes you hope to achieve at the 2nd edition of World With Purpose in Riyadh, KSA?

The World With Purpose summit in Riyadh is designed to drive real, lasting change in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. We will bring together 200 global family businesses to meet with Saudi family enterprises and forge partnerships for change. Family businesses, which manage 80% of the regional economy, hold immense power to shape the future, but they have often been absent from global discussions on sustainability.

What do we hope to achieve? Beyond inspiring discussions, we want tangible commitments towards sustainability. Our goal is to redefine success—not just by financial metrics, but by lives transformed, ecosystems restored, and new partnerships formed to tackle pressing global challenges like climate change, poverty, and education. We want attendees to leave not just inspired but ready to act.

With the Riyadh summit focusing on global impact, what are the key topics that will be discussed, and how do you plan to engage local and international thought leaders to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

The summit will cover a wide range of topics, from disruptive innovations like AI and circular economies to sustainability in desert environments. A major focus will be on purpose-driven leadership and embedding this ethos into corporate strategy.

We are fortunate to have global thought leaders like Paul Polman, Bruno Roche, and Todd Rupert joining us. They will discuss new economic models, including Bruno Roche’s Economics of Mutuality, which challenges businesses to be valued not only by their financial performance but by the social and environmental impact they create.

How would you respond to critics, especially from the West, who point out the disconnect between purpose and sustainability in economies that rely heavily on fossil fuels?

This criticism comes from a place of concern, and I don’t dismiss it. Yes, the Middle East has long relied on fossil fuels, and yes, many governments operate differently from Western democracies. However, the region is also taking serious steps towards a sustainable future. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, for instance, represents a strategic shift toward a post-oil economy. These efforts are not just for show—they are full-on commitments to sustainability. The drive for sustainability here is real, and in some ways, it's more urgent than anywhere else.

Criticism is easy, but change takes time. You can’t undo decades of reliance on fossil fuels overnight. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, I invite critics to look at what’s right. The region is investing in renewables, AI, and desert agriculture, which are genuine commitments to building a sustainable future. My response: Watch this space. Change is coming, and it’s coming faster than you think.

Youth leadership is a significant part of your vision. How does World With Purpose empower young changemakers, and what role will they play at the Riyadh summit? Can you tell us more about the GHAYA 4 Youth program?

The youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are the leaders of today. At the Riyadh summit, we will feature Next Gen leaders from both global and Saudi family businesses. We are not just giving them a seat at the table; we are handing them the mic.

The GHAYA 4 Youth program, in partnership with local universities, helps students find their ikigai—the intersection of passion, vocation, and purpose. We aim to inspire the next generation to align their careers with societal needs, fostering a generation of purpose-driven leaders. The GHAYA Purpose 4 Impact program is created to support the UAE National Youth Strategy, which focuses on developing youth through a disruptive course that helps students find their purpose, align it with society’s needs, and translate that into action. Youth are not just the future—they’re the now, and they’ll play a crucial role in driving the outcomes of the summit.

Looking ahead, what are the major plans for GHAYA over the next five years, particularly in terms of expanding its influence in emerging markets and its impact-driven initiatives?

GHAYA will continue to scale its initiatives across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. Our World With Purpose summit will be brought to other emerging markets, with Africa being a key focus. We are partnering with global innovation funds to deliver immersive programs that accelerate social and environmental impact.

In the next five years, sustainability will become the new corporate governance—integral to every business model. GHAYA is at the forefront of this transformation, creating purpose-driven businesses that will shape the future of global prosperity.