GHAYA

⸻ Today, I had the honor of lecturing at Tokyo International University in Japan on impact, innovation, and purpose — and I left more inspired than I came. What struck me most was not only the curiosity in the room, but the conviction in the eyes of the students. A conviction that says: we don’t just inherit the world as it is — we can build it as it should be. We talked about entrepreneurship beyond profit, about innovation that serves society, and about leadership rooted in purpose, conviction, and responsibility. About building businesses that don’t just succeed, but matter. And about designing solutions for a world that works for all — not just the few. This generation is not waiting for permission. They are asking bigger questions: - How can we innovate without losing our humanity? - How can business become a force for good? - How do we create ecosystems that include, rather than exclude? My message to them was simple: If you build from purpose first, the impact becomes inevitable. The other highlight? The sense that something bigger is underway. We are no longer talking about isolated national ecosystems — we are building bridges. A bridge between the UAE and Japan — between diverse cultures, innovation mindsets, bold ambition, deep heritage, and shared focus on technological progress and human development. This is how the future gets built: through collaboration, cross-border learning, and young leaders who refuse to accept boundaries — geographic or intellectual. To the students of Tokyo International University: thank you for your energy, your curiosity, and your courage to imagine better. You reminded me that the most powerful innovation we can ever invest in is the belief of young minds that they can shape the future. The world they are designing is not just smarter. It is kinder. And braver. And more intentional. Special thank you to Prof Omid Asgari who extended the kind invitation and Aina Hatano who made it happen. #PurposeDriven #FutureOfInnovation #Entrepreneurship #YouthLeadership #ImpactEconomy #uae #japan #UAEJapanBridge #TokyoInternationalUniversity #InnovationEcosystems #ghaya #sdgs

Launching "Conversations with Women With Purpose" The Women With Purpose movement, which emerged from the 2nd edition of World With Purpose KSA,powered by GHAYA now evolves into a dedicated platform: Conversations with Women With Purpose — a global series that brings together visionary women to redefine leadership through the lens of purpose, longevity, consciouness and impact. Our 1st episode on October 25th "Leadership that Lasts: Purpose meets Longevity" in collaboration with CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE featuring Dr.Flutura H. in conversation with Roberta Calarese, will explore some of the most critical frontiers shaping the future of female leadership: - Hormonal health as the hidden driver of cognitive clarity, resilience, and leadership presence; - Stem cell science and cellular regeneration as pathways to sustained influence over time; - Longevity not as lifespan—but as leadership-span. This is not a session about wellness. It is a conversation about power, legacy, and the biological foundations of leadership resilience. This series is the beginning of a movement—where women do not simply lead in the moment, but lead across generations. Special thank you to Anna Maria Aloe Elena Gramatica SEC Newgate Group for being the forces behind this collaboration and for their continuous support of World with Purpose and GHAYA #ConversationsWithWomenWithPurpose #CliniqueLaPrairie #ghaya #WomenWithPurpose #RegenerativeLeadership #Longevity #StemCells #HormonalHealth #WorldWithPurpose #SDGs #impact #sustainability

An Ode to Life I have spent countless hours watching the desert dunes and the sea that embrace the land I call home, my beautiful UAE. Both teach me, in their own ways, what it means to love life. The dunes remind me that life, like the shifting sands, is ever-changing. The wind sculpts them into new forms each day, just as time shapes us. No moment is ever the same, yet each carries beauty born of patience, resilience, and grace. The sea whispers another truth: life has its own rhythm. At times it is calm and sparkling, at times restless and wild, yet always true to its essence. So too is our journey—marked by stillness, by storms, and by the steady tide of renewal. And yet, in today’s world, it can feel as if this rhythm is lost. We live surrounded by endless noise—division, conflict, fear, greed, and distraction. The airwaves often remind us of what is broken, not what is whole. In such a climate, to love life is an act of courage. To notice beauty in the ordinary, to cherish connection, and to choose hope amidst uncertainty is nothing short of revolutionary. For me, life itself is the greatest love story. To walk with awe. To honor the ordinary as sacred. To bow to the complexity, the wonder, and the mystery. Love of life is not something we search for outside ourselves—it is the very essence of being alive. A remembering of our wholeness. And perhaps, at the end of it all, what we long for is simple: to live fully, to love deeply, and to see the world as miracle. So let us choose, every day, to fall in love with life again— to walk with awe, to act with purpose, and to remember our oneness with each other and this earth. #purpose #peace #UAE #love #SDGS #earth #sustainablelife #courage #ghaya

What if the future of #leadership wasn’t built on control, but on inner #clarity, moral #courage, and a deep #awareness of what good truly looks like? In this episode of #FusionTalks with Yasmine Barbir ياسمين بربير, we had the immense privilege of speaking with Roberta Calarese, Founder and CEO of GHAYA, and a former legal reformer turned purpose architect, who shares not just ideas, but lived wisdom. Roberta doesn’t preach; she reflects. And when she shared how reading Old Path White Clouds, a book about the Buddha’s life, gave her a new standard of goodness, not because she could ever reach it, but because simply having the awareness of what good looks like can give individuals something to continuously strive for. This episode offers exactly that: #awareness. Not judgment. Not perfection. Just the gentle, powerful clarity that shows us what must be done so we can start walking toward it, individually and collectively. Roberta spoke about: - Governance as a living system for good - AI as a potential partner in moral policy - Purpose beyond performance slogans - Feminine energy as a creative, regenerative force - And why everything begins with inner transformation These are truths, but trends. And this episode is an invitation into them. 🎧 Watch the full episode now on our YouTube channel, link in comments. ❤️ If it resonates, like, comment, share, and follow us for more conversations with purpose. #Sustainability #Leadership #Purpose #Education #FutureOfWork #Governance #AIethics #ConsciousBusiness #WomenWithPurpose #Philanthropy #InnerDevelopment #Podcast #Courses #FusionTalks #FusionMinds #SystemsChange #LifelongLearning #RegenerativeLeadership #Education #Reflective #ESG

🌟 Executive Circle Speaker Announcement 🌟 We’re delighted to welcome Roberta Calarese, CEO of GHAYA, as a featured speaker in the #BWBW Executive Circle Program! Roberta brings over 25 years of experience across investment banking, policy, governance, entrepreneurship, and purpose-driven leadership. From shaping the DIFC’s global legal framework to empowering women through creative ventures and leadership transformation, her journey is a testament to bold vision and enduring impact. 🌍💡 🎙️ Roberta will lead a session on: "Creating Purpose-Driven Workplaces: Aligning Organizational Goals with Societal Impact." Her insights will help rising women #leaders explore how purpose, leadership, and systemic change can and must work together. 💬 “To build a world with purpose, we must harness the full spectrum of human potential—and that means placing women at the heart of progress, as visionaries, leaders, and changemakers.” We’re thrilled to learn from Roberta and welcome her inspiring presence to this powerful community. 👉 Secure Your Seat in the #ExecutiveCircle NOW! This is not just another program; it's your fast track to becoming the next boldest version of your leadership self. Learn from top experts. Grow with a powerful community. Lead the change. https://lnkd.in/dMb9ruZM Or reach out to us at: [email protected] #ExecutiveCircle #WomenInLeadership #PurposeDriven #LeadershipWithImpact #Inclusion #FutureOfWork #BWBW #SustainableLeadership

Most corporate efforts to embed societal purpose involve a relatively small number of senior people — C-suite, functional, and business leaders. The potential of fully engaging and aligning the entire organization, including middle management and front-line employees, thus remains unfulfilled. Without focus on organizationwide transformation, there is a risk that the head of the organization (that is, senior management) becomes disconnected from the body (organizational members), rendering the entire effort ineffective and potentially counterproductive. To understand the nature of this disconnect in greater depth — and how best to address it — my colleagues Priya Dasgupta, Kate Napolitan, and I took a close look at some truly innovative corporate outliers — a selection of 15 companies that we identified as pushing the envelope when it comes to societal purpose, sustainability, and corporate transformation.1 We found that articulating a clear purpose is necessary but not sufficient to the task of focusing company attention on the actual challenges that the company seeks to address. Our examination found that embedding sustainability and a societal purpose into the core DNA of a company requires the systematic realignment of the entire corporate architecture, including purpose, goals, metrics, and strategies, as well as the key organizational elements — structure, systems, processes, rewards, and incentives. We borrowed the metaphor of the “house” from Griffith Foods, one of the companies we studied, to represent how these various building blocks fit together as a system. https://mitsmr.com/4gQ3uQ9

In this deeply personal reflection by Roberta Calarese, founder and CEO of GHAYA and Dr. Mahmoud Samandari, founder of soul.com invite us to see business not just as profit-driven, but as a quiet, steady force for peace. Drawing on real examples from the UAE’s role in preserving stability amid crisis, they show how purpose-led companies can foster trust, resilience, and healing. This is a call to leaders to awaken the soul of business—and choose courage, clarity, and compassion in shaping a better world.

Most corporate efforts to embed societal purpose involve a relatively small number of senior people — C-suite, functional, and business leaders. The potential of fully engaging and aligning the entire organization, including middle management and front-line employees, thus remains unfulfilled. Without focus on organizationwide transformation, there is a risk that the head of the organization (that is, senior management) becomes disconnected from the body (organizational members), rendering the entire effort ineffective and potentially counterproductive. To understand the nature of this disconnect in greater depth — and how best to address it — my colleagues Priya Dasgupta, Kate Napolitan, and I took a close look at some truly innovative corporate outliers — a selection of 15 companies that we identified as pushing the envelope when it comes to societal purpose, sustainability, and corporate transformation.1 We found that articulating a clear purpose is necessary but not sufficient to the task of focusing company attention on the actual challenges that the company seeks to address. Our examination found that embedding sustainability and a societal purpose into the core DNA of a company requires the systematic realignment of the entire corporate architecture, including purpose, goals, metrics, and strategies, as well as the key organizational elements — structure, systems, processes, rewards, and incentives. We borrowed the metaphor of the “house” from Griffith Foods, one of the companies we studied, to represent how these various building blocks fit together as a system. https://mitsmr.com/4gQ3uQ9