By prof. Nada Mallah Boustani “Green is a process, not a status. We need to think of ‘green’ as a verb, not an adjective.” Daniel Goleman. One of the concepts that is used most frequently while talking about climate change is environmental sustainability that is promoted through green financing at the expense of economic growth, which is facilitated by financial development, foreign direct investment, R&D spending, and green technology at the expense of environmental sustainability. Being “green” demonstrates a nation’s commitment to safeguarding its people’s health as well as the environment and its resources. Policymaking and the success of present measures serve as examples of this. Why is it so important to focus on environmental issues and to think GREEN ? We’ll see, nevertheless, that some nations give the environment a higher priority than others. In 2022, the top 10 rankings is dominated by European nations, including Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland, France, Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway, and Ireland. The Sustainable Development Concept, which is supported by 170 countries, is logically complemented by “green” finance, a new financial model that combines environmental preservation with economic gain. Renewable energy and energy efficiency, pollution prevention and control, biodiversity conservation, circular economy initiatives, and sustainable use of natural resources and land are among the projects of “green financing.” How did green finance start and what is the difference between sustainable finance and green finance? Although green finance has its origins in the 1970s, it wasn’t until the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement in 2015 that the sustainability movement reached its breaking point. Social and economic factors are not included in green finance, only climate finance. Environmental (green) finance includes climate finance as a subset. The phrase “sustainable finance” consequently refers to any financial operations that support sustainable development, making it the most inclusive. What is ESG green finance? Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are put front and center in sustainable finance when making business and investment decisions. Without surrendering financial gains, we think it is possible to have a positive impact on society and the environment. In fact, it was discovered that environmental finance and sustainable financing were the most efficient ways to stop environmental degradation. A wide-ranging collection of interconnected environmental and social goals, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be achieved by organizations with the aid of green money. The SDGs, for instance, can assist you in taking action on climate change, safeguarding biodiversity, promoting well-being, and encouraging regenerative agriculture. Why do banks offer green loans and what is the highest investment in clean energy globally? By employing renewable energy sources and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, borrowers of green loans can become more environmentally conscious and make a role in the fight against climate change. China makes the largest global investments in renewable energy. China invested over 83.4 billion dollars in sustainable energy research and development in 2019. With investments in clean energy totaling 55.5 billion and 16.5 billion dollars, respectively, the United States and Japan were the two countries with the second and third greatest totals. ESG principles are incorporated into business choices and investment strategies through sustainable finance, which addresses anything from labor practices to climate change. Due in part to the financial requirements associated with pandemics, such as healthcare, as well as the rise in borrowing associated with climate change in Latin America, it has become more commonplace in emerging markets. The amount of ESG-related debt issued last year more than tripled to $190 billion. Flows into equity funds focused on sustainability increased as well, to $25 billion, increasing the total amount of assets under administration to around $150 billion. To conclude on a wide topic, there are still a lot of barriers to green finance that need to be overcome, such as setting a price on CO2 emissions and changing ineffective subsidies for nonrenewable fossil fuels. Local governments are crucial in removing these obstacles and dealing with the disincentives. To advance the objectives of long-term sustainable development, authorities are advised to press the financial industry to adopt a green financing approach. Through an increasingly wider range of legal frameworks suitable for divorcing growth from social and ecological unsustainable development, at the core of the green manufacturing process, the industry must integrate numerous objectives, such as inclusive growth, environmental protection, and productivity.
Dr. Maliha Hashmi
Dr. Maliha Hashmi is a winner of the prestigious Forbes Health Leadership Award of 2022 and part of the World Leaders Award recipients. As well, she is one of the Top Seven Most Talented Female Health Leaders of the MENA region and is well-known as one of the dedicated and esteemed leaders in the region who has committed herself to bring positive change, wellness, and growth to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dr. Maliha Hashmi is a Senior Executive Advisor to various prestigious private & public and government entities. Moreover, the entrepreneur serves as a Bain External Advisor to the Bain Consultancy Group. She also served as the Executive Director and Co-Head of the Health, well-being and Biotech Sector at NEOM, where she also served as the Executive Director for all Strategic Partnerships. The Lady also served as the Deputy Chair of the NEOM Covid-19 Leadership Taskforce. She also has Senior Executive Advisory roles in various KSA entities where she advises on healthcare and education. The exceptional entrepreneur, Dr. Maliha Hashmi, is also a Board Member of the prestigious Advisory Board for Arab Health: the largest multi-disciplinary congress in the MENA Region. She is also a Board Member of the Halal Certification Authority part of the Saudi Food Drug Authority. She is also an Advisory Board Member of social impact investing in the Kingdom. Dr. Hashmi also serves as a Leading Expert & Council Member for the Prestigious Global Future Council on Health & Healthcare at the World Economic Forum. Furthermore, Dr. Maliha Hashmi serves as a Leading Expert & Council Member for the Global Future Council on Longevity at the World Economic Forum. Dr. Hashmi is also a Leading Expert and Council Member for the Emerging Technologies Councils in the MENA Region which is part of the Big Innovation Center, an award-winning global innovation technology think tank. Adding to her achievements, Dr. Maliha is also an esteemed delegate of the V20, where V20 is a global platform of value experts and practitioners that has come together on the sidelines of the G20 presidency to actively engage with the process of the Group of Twenty (G20). She is also a regular contributor for Forbes. The dedicated lady has held Senior Executive roles in various sectors and globally renowned organizations and is a well-known name in the region for health & wellbeing. To crown it all, Dr. Maliha Hashmi received her Doctorate and Master’s Degrees from Harvard and MIT and is listed as one of the top 20 women in the Nation in the United States of America for her achievements making it into the Who’s Who in America List. Connect with Dr. Maliha Hashmi on Linkedin
The power of now is crucial
Interview with Lea Atallah Why did you choose to embark on your journey in the medical high-tech industry? My journey in the medical industry started 10 years ago as a regulatory intern for the Middle East Region when I was just completing my last semester at the American University of Beirut (AUB). I grabbed the opportunity as soon as I knew that Zimmer Biomet saves the lives of millions and millions of people worldwide. Until today, I am still taking up the corporate ladder at this American multinational company, which is now well known to be the boldest in med-tech, focusing to invest in patient safety using the highest technologies. My pride is to call this workplace a second home where I can invest my design and strategic thinking as well as my passion for digital transformation and agile leadership. What was the main challenge and how did you overcome it? My main challenge was on a personal level which helped me overcome many professional roadblocks. I suffered from the age of 13 until the age of 26 years a disease called Anorexia Nervosa, which is by definition an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and food. It is in fact much more than that, because people who suffer from this disease tend to be perfectionists and use weight and food as tools to manipulate their own brains and they use their bodies to punish themselves, reaching a level where it is not anymore controllable. I was severely hospitalized and despite the tremendous support of close friends and superb family, I was not able to get over it until the day when I challenged myself at the age of 26 and decided to run the Women’s race and then the Beirut Marathon. I told myself back then if I am able to make this happen for myself and for every woman out there, for every person suffering from bullying and from sadness or loneliness, then I will be able to stop medications and heal from Anorexia Nervosa. I didn’t need anyone anymore, except believing in the universe and myself until I made it happen with a society that doesn’t judge but loves instead. It has been now 2 years that I am totally free from this disease and trying my best to help others heal from this disorder. What are some of the most important qualities you think a leader should have? The quality to pick would be one and straight to Love. If a leader loves, then she is able to (1) be agile and adapt to changes (2) love herself and accept others the way they are (3) be empathetic and give back (4) transparently accept feedback, and (5) never give up her values. If you could introduce one piece of legislation to further social equality, what would it be? I am a candidate for the Executive MBA at ESCP Business School. Based on my multicultural connections worldwide which allowed me to see things from different perspectives and to meet people who made a positive unforgettable impact on my life, I would want one day to introduce an additional piece of legislation focused on people with mental disorders. I was diagnosed with this years and years ago, I was misjudged and had to go through ups and downs until I made it my own way. Sex Discrimination, Equal Pay, Disability Discrimination, and many others are a major focus, but there is a larger community in schools and in corporates those who have potential and need their lives to be saved. You founded E-Touch, which emphasizes in pain management physical therapy, and online services. What can you tell us about it? While my day job is at Zimmer Biomet, I also have a start-up called E-Touch together with my business partner Elie El Dahdah, DPT. It is based in Dubai and focuses on physical therapy and pain management. The idea came from the intrapreneurship mindset that I have grown throughout my EMBA and took the decision to empower my brain map. This is when I became an investor at E-Touch with a role limited to B2B Partnerships, Financial Performance, and Strategy Advisory. One of our key achievements is partnering with The Brain Matters Center (neuropsychology center), and being the only online services with a full-fledged web platform for clinicians. What’s your motto in life? Dream Bigger. My corporate life and my start-up are not just what I do. I have dreams that I don’t chase, but make them true. Another example is my upcoming startup to go live in July 2023 focused on careers mentoring where I sketch tailored programs from scratch based on books I study for months to train and mentor university students, corporates, start-ups, and whatever it takes to design the brain on agile thinking. What piece of advice would you give to people struggling with limiting beliefs set by societies? Dream Bigger. We all have dreams, but we just need to love ourselves a little bit more and believe in the process of the universe. We are not alone; everyone suffers in his/her own way. Instead of focusing on the others or on the bad story, look at the bright side and remember: you are your only limit. What would you tell your younger self? Do you remember when you used to feel lonely and bullied? Do you remember when you lost hope and belief? Do you also remember when you look at the mirror on 26 October 2018 and told yourself that you will make a change in this world? The time is happening. Where do you see yourself years from now? I wish I can imagine myself. The Power of Now is crucial, and I can just say I am very excited about doing whatever is meant to be.
Importance of Growth Mindset and Coaching Techniques
How can Growth mindset and coaching techniques help you grow and succeed in the workplace? NLP Coaching calls upon psychology and behavioral sciences to create models to help people identify their desired outcomes, challenge their assumptions, reframe their experiences, discover alternative behaviors and experiment with them in order to achieve Excellence. 1- Internal maps of the world Internal representations, in interaction with language (neuro-linguistic), form our perceptions of the world or maps (programming). Each person’s map of the world determines their feelings and behavior. How often have you heard ‘I am no good at …’ and recognized a self-fulfilling prophecy? Unrealistic maps can often restrict choices and result in problems. Internal maps are strong influencers on belief and behavior because they are based on previous experiences through which people filter information about the world around them, gathered through their senses. The resulting ‘reality’ of the world as they see it, drives their behaviors, often reinforcing their perception of the world as true. For example, if somebody feels that ‘nobody ever listens to my ideas’ (their reality), they may not spend a lot of time and effort in presenting them. Their boss, however, may see them as someone who has some good ideas but never fully develops them (the other person’s reality). There are some NLP tools aimed to help discover the filters somebody puts in place and how they affect what they see, hear, and feel. In turn, this helps them to see how they react to others and the potential for change. Once they become aware of the impact of filters, NLP coaching techniques are said to help them consciously modify or remove them for better insight. 2- Neurological levels model Robert Dilts developed the neurological levels model as a tool for personal change. This model gives a framework for examining why things happen the way they do. It aims to help people to identify where best to make changes in order to achieve the desired outcomes. The levels, with examples of how they might be changed if someone feels his/her ideas are not listened to at work, are: Environment. The physical and emotional environment including the people you are with, the greater society and culture of which you are a part. Behavior. What you do and how you behave, including taking conscious action with the intention of achieving. For example, consider how successful colleagues get their ideas heard. Is it possible to change your behavior or manner accordingly? Capability. How you do things, the skills and processes you employ, and how relevant they are. For example, do you need to brush up on your listening, communication, or presentation skills in order to achieve a more significant impact? Beliefs and values. What is important to you and what do you expect to happen in a given situation? For example, are you conveying the message that you wish to be listened to? Identity. Your sense of who you are and the different role(s) you play in life. For example, have you adopted the role of the implementer of others’ ideas rather than that of an ‘ideas person’? Spirituality or connectedness. Your higher purpose, what makes you who you are, what you offer the wider society, and what will fulfill you? For example, do you really believe that your ideas could make a difference? Are you motivated by job satisfaction? NLP Coaching is the study of human excellence and demonstrates how to communicate effectively and influence others. It can be effectively used to enhance Personal and Corporate life. Written by Nada El Gazzar – NLP Trainer and Coach, CBT Coach, Excellence Advisor & EFQM Coach
Yasmine Darwich, founder of Donaleb
Yasmine Darwich is a Social Entrepreneur leading innovation and social change one step at a time. Using her expertise in Data Analysis and her knowledge in the startup industry, Yasmine founded DonaLeb, a global impact platform that allows users to walk for a cause. Through DonaLeb, Yasmine is connecting individuals, businesses, and NGOs to reach global change. Yasmine’s leadership and dedication led to DonaLeb being voted as “Best and Most Innovative Digital Solution in Health & Wellbeing from Lebanon” by the World Summit Awards. She has also been invited to Italy and Netherlands to showcase DonaLeb at the We Make Future Digital Innovation Festival and the Spark Ignite Conference respectively. In less than a year, Yasmine has managed, with the help of a dedicated team, to spearhead an impactful and innovative platform that changes the future of workplace cultures and charitable giving. Yasmine has acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management along with a Minor in Audiovisual Production from the Lebanese American University and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Analytics from the American University of Beirut. Finally, this young entrepreneur is pursuing her dreams and taking steps forward toward continuous growth.
Taiba Yoseph, founder of IE (Insightful Enablement)
Back in 2017, Taiba was upset with her life, she knew that she needed to make a change but didn’t know where to start. In her attempts, she saw a psychiatrist, a health coach, and a life coach to learn how to make change happen and live a life that feels more like hers. Five years later, she found herself to be a different person living a completely different life. Looking back, she saw that she had tried more than 20 healing techniques, and personally witnessed how each technique was adding a piece to the puzzle. And that’s when it hit her! She realized how important it is to go through all these trials and twits in order to find clarity and find oneself. Because she witnessed firsthand how the start of the healing and well-being journey can be very blurry, she decided to build a community to help people better navigate through theirs. A community where members can develop their well-being, and elevate their quality of life through experimenting different healing techniques and getting the support they need. A community that offers well-being events; programs, masterclasses, and retreats by collaborating with different specialists in the field. A community that reminds its members that they are not alone, they are seen and heard without judgment. A community that provides a safe space and deep experiences that connects one to their own insightfulness. In December 2021, Taiba Yoseph founded IE (Insightful Enablement) and started building her dream community. IE is an establishment that creates and hosts experiences, programs, and retreats in wellness and healing for individuals and corporates. Since it’s launch, IE has collaborated with various influential well-being coaches to served more than 300 community members in more than 15 events. Some events were held online (for members all around the world), and others took place in Jeddah, AlUla, and AlMedina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although Taiba graduated as an Electrical Engineer, she found her passion to be in the wellness and healing field. It was through this passion that she found the most prominent goal of her life; helping others in their own inner journeys to have a better quality of life by creating IE well-being experiences. She is now also a self-healing and growth guide, wellbeing advocate, Yoga teacher, and practitioner in the meditative breathing school. In addition to having 3 years of experience in employee well-being development. Taiba believes that anyone can change the narrative of their life. If you want to, you can have a better life; better relations, better job, and better financial status. It all starts from within, and IE is proud to be your buddy in this journey to find your own way of having your life back
Nada El Andari
Some people are temporary and no matter how long they stay, they always leave a lesson or expose you to new opportunities and ways to grow. Nada El Andari.
The Dynamo of life
What if a dynamo moves all the joints of our lives? Are we going to work hard to get to know it well? And then, are we going to maintain it constantly? Without a doubt, our self-awareness is the most precious gift we can offer ourselves to a happier life. What about the dynamo that drives all our decisions, choices and mindset? That dynamo is all about values. When we are aware of our core values, we will realize that they are responsible for shaping our unique personality and setting our goals within the right standard because: They lead us to live according to our purpose and mission, not to influences and changes around us. They guide us to accept or reject the offers we receive. We are guided by the jobs and services best suited for us. We set our goals and plans according to our faith and principles. January is a common time to set goals, we need more than just the motivation to achieve our goals. We need to get inspiration on the business we’re creating. Inspiration means going beyond traditional goal-setting techniques and formulating a value-based vision, which in turn, makes our goals sustainable. A lot of us have explored his own values. I encourage you this January, as you explore your goals for 2023, to consider choosing your business goals based on your values. Values are who we are. When you are aligned with your true values, you feel completely you, and you start to live your life effortlessly because you live a life full of emotions and achievements, drawing strength from the dynamo of your life – your core values – the goals growing from your values are meaningful and sustainable. Aligning your vision of your work with your true values is key to easily embracing your entrepreneurial abilities. Ask yourself, do you live your life according to your values? Does your professional choice reflect your values? What about your off-duty activities? Do you spend your time on matters of interest to you? If not, what are you waiting for to get things back on track? Your journey to learn about your personal values is worthy! Finally, don’t forget to be the upgraded version of yourself and consciously leave your impact. Fatima Khalaf Al-Alawi Scan the code to meet the writer
Karla Rizk Jaalouk: Maintaining a gender balance
Karla Rizk Jaalouk is a dedicated entrepreneur and president of the Brazil Friendship Group who’s constantly pursuing her goals. What can you tell us about yourself? My name is Karla Rizk Jaalouk, I am Brazilian, my parents are Lebanese and I am married to Georges Jaalouk, a Lebanese doctor. I have 3 children – the 23-year-old eldest is studying medicine, the 2nd is 22 years old and has a degree in computer and communication engineering, and the 3rd is a 19-year-old boy studying computer science. I have lived in Lebanon for 25 years. How do you describe your life journey? Like any woman, the day starts off hectic, organizing the household and following up on the daily schedule. As a mother, wife, daughter, president of the association and artist. Always the hectic schedule. Who has significantly impacted your life? The person who most impacted my life was undoubtedly my mother, she was a strong woman who lightly controlled all the obstacles in life. What’s the purpose of The Brazil Friendship Group in the Middle East? The Brazil Friendship Group was of great importance for any Brazilian arriving in Lebanon. And as for me, I would have definitely focused on the association’s main vision: to be able to welcome any Brazilian and show a voice for their importance, spread friendship, help each other, look out for one another, engage in the Lebanese society and be grounded in the meaning of solidarity. Tell us more about your mission as president of the group. Today, as president of the Brazil Friendship Group, I see myself obliged to take action and do something for someone in need, never turn my back on anyone who asks for support, or simply provide something to put on their day-to-day plate. Always help in any way by trying as much as I can to pool resources to ensure help. It’s a great challenge these days, especially with what Lebanon is going through. Additionally, our many accomplishments entail: the aids we were able to provide during the Beirut Blast aftermath, the basic food baskets we were able to distribute from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic all through and through till the collapse of the economy in Lebanon; we were able to help. And I felt a responsibility in being able to lend that help, in any way the group could. Moreover, a great accomplishment for the group, I was able to ensure the association’s registration in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. What was the biggest challenge in your journey? The biggest challenge was on August 4, 2020, in the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosion. We saw many injured friends, and many known and unknown people having nowhere else to sleep and we certainly had to do something about it. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we went down the streets, we started to help without having enough resources, started asking for support from outside Lebanon –expats, sympathizers — We ran a “Help Us to Help” campaign, and we were able to help a lot of people, restore many homes, distribute basic food baskets, rebuild a church and a school. With the grace of God, resources appeared, and we passed them on to those in need. God guiding us. What can you say about being awarded the “Rio Branco” Medal? The Rio Branco insígnia was a very important milestone for the Brazil Friendship Group. It is the highest award an association could receive. Honor and pride are what described my feeling while receiving such a medal because I was sure that I did my best and drove through the impossible to achieve this recognition. How do you manage your work & family life? In order to live a harmonious life, I always try to reconcile both my family life and my work. My husband and children help me in my work and support me so I can continue my legacy, they are my biggest supporters. How is your artistic side playing a role in your position? As an artist and a painter, I have a sensitive, delicate and organized side, which makes me engage the 2 positions very well, being able to notice and organize the most sensitive details. I also offer paintings of mine to raise funds for donations. What piece of advice would you give to women struggling with limiting beliefs set by their societies? As we all know, Lebanon is a deeply patriarchal society, men are given more freedom and rights compared to women, and it’s not easy to live with that, with that knowledge and reality. The best advice I can give is “do not give up, keep on demanding your place in society, and be proud to be a woman.” If you could introduce only one piece of legislation to further gender balance, what would it be? The Brazil Friendship Group is mostly rooted in women, women in position, and women prospering in the association as well in society. We are proud to be an organization that highly values women in the patriarchal society we live in. One of our values is ensuring a balance between the genders, without any differentiation between men and women in this day and age. What’s next for Karla Jaalouk? Continuing my legacy, perpetuating the need for the Brazil Friendship Group to prosper, to continue its mission, and to help others because there shouldn’t be people asking for their basic needs in the world in this century.
Lea Atallah
Lea Atallah is a Female Corporate and Entrepreneur with 10 years of experience in the medical high-tech industry, mostly focusing on corporate strategy and commercial capacities. Her professional strengths are best practices in Project Management, mainly in M&A and GTMM, as well as Design Thinking and Re-Thinking, especially when companies are going through a crisis or transformation. As the QA/RA Associate Director at Zimmer Biomet, Lea is leading a team of at least 30 TMs with a minimum responsibility of 50 countries, including a strong record in regulatory affairs, products registrations, quality management systems, product recalls, MDR, IBP, business compliance, etc. The successful lady loves and has partnered smoothly with peers in US, LATAM, APAC, and EMEA to deliver excellence in the culture previously for the LGBT+ and currently for the YPN. As a certified Internal Auditor, this passionate entrepreneur has also a solid academic background. Adding to her BBA from the American University of Beirut, she is graduating in Dec. 2023 from the #5 Business School Worldwide, ESCP Europe with an Executive MBA. Her latest global award was from Zimmer Biomet in Oct. 2022, for being a Trusted Partner Leader. Lea Atallah has 10 other awards for performing beyond expectations and her name was listed on the 2021 MedTech Women Advocates. On a personal level, she loves mentoring and sketching customized corporate training programs. The businesswoman moderates regional events, like the 2021 GCC Summit and the 2022 AFRI Summit. To crown it all, she co-founded a startup called E-Touch emphasizing in pain management physical therapy and online services. Finally, the daily routine of such a successful woman includes reading, running, writing, and spending time with family, as well as having “Dream Bigger” as her mantra.