Meet the Team
Garnering over 20 years of experience, co-founders Hawazen Al Buaijan and Samia Al Duaij aim to raise awareness about sustainability and the effects of it in our day to day lives, across the fields of business, fashion, and technology.
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Co-Founder & Managing PartnerHawazen Al Buaijan is an accomplished entrepreneur and financial professional with a diverse career spanning private banking, wealth management, pioneering online retail, and sustainability advocacy in Kuwait. She began her career in private banking, holding key wealth management roles at the National Bank of Kuwait and Global Investment House, where she provided bespoke financial solutions to high-net-worth clients.
Building on her financial and marketing expertise, Hawazen launched Kuwait’s first professional online boutique, setting a new standard in the country's retail industry. Her innovative approach and business acumen led to the boutique's great success, eventually resulting in a profitable sale.
Driven by a commitment to environmental stewardship, Hawazen co-founded Sustainable Living Kuwait, a leading organization focused on addressing the country’s pressing sustainability challenges. She spearheads initiatives aimed at reducing food waste, promoting resource efficiency, and raising public awareness about sustainable practices. One of her signature projects, Planet to Plate, brings together communities, businesses, and policymakers to tackle food waste, particularly during Ramadan, a period when food waste in Kuwait spikes by approximately 30%. Her efforts have helped create impactful partnerships and solutions that align with global sustainability goals.
Hawazen has also played an instrumental role in advocating for sustainable living through workshops, campaigns, and collaborations with educational institutions and NGOs. She has been actively involved in promoting urban agriculture, waste reduction programs, and renewable energy awareness, positioning herself as a prominent voice for environmental responsibility in the region.
In addition to her sustainability work, Hawazen is a partner at MERAS Consulting, where she leverages her marketing expertise to help businesses integrate sustainability into their operations. She is widely recognized as a thought leader in the environmental field, regularly contributing to public discourse and inspiring action toward a greener, more sustainable future in Kuwait and beyond.
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Co-Founder & Managing PartnerSamia Al Duaij is an environmental expert with more than 20 years of experience in international development, environmental policy and management.
She has worked for the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, UNESCO and UNEP in the Middle East and North Africa region. Her work has consisted mostly of projects and technical assistance programs related to governance, pollution management, climate change, waste management, marine conservation and sustainable development of natural resources.
Samia was part of the team that set up the aquarium at the Scientific Center in Kuwait. She regularly advices the public and private sector on all aspects of sustainability. A keen diver and adventurer, Samia has witnessed first-hand the negative environmental impact of certain consumer behavior. She launched this initiative to better communicate and share her insights on how to live more sustainably and contribute, however modestly, to the rehabilitation of the planet on a more personal level.
We bring together almost 20 years of experience in the environmental sector, financial services and online retail space locally, regionally and internationally.
