The desire to know your own soul will end all other desires - Rumi.
Italian by origin, Roberta Calarese is one of the leading legal professionals in the Middle East. As Chief Legal Officer of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), she developed the policies and legal framework that have contributed to DIFC becoming one of the top financial hubs in the world. Subsequently, she has held similar roles at other leading conglomerates in the Middle East and North America. In 2013, the International Financial Law Review voted her the best female lawyer for the Middle East.
Though steaming forward in the fast lane, in 2018, a moment of deep challenge triggered the “desire to know her own soul”. “My cousin, who was my mother in a previous life, told me that I was disconnected from my divinity within, and all that was to come to pass would not pass unless I started my journey within,” she recounts.
In the journey that unfolded, she was guided by visions from past lives and found her highest wisdom in Old Path White Clouds, a book by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Through these inner inquiries, she “received” her purpose, which led her to quit her corporate career, and to start Ghaya, a consultancy firm to support the inner journey of leaders and help make their organizations more impactful and sustainable.
In a recent interview, Roberta shares, “In business, the inner work is always the elephant in the room. All we are talking about is market solutions. But if we are to really create a different world, we need to change people’s inner worlds.” Ghaya also hosts World With Purpose summits to harness the power of business as a force for good in the Middle East and Africa.
Holding an LLB from Warwick University and an LLM from University College London, Roberta started her career as an investment banking lawyer with Goldman Sachs in London. She has held several board positions, including United Arab Emirates Tennis Federation (2014-2022) and Vice President of the board of directors of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE (2004-2016). Roberta also received, on behalf of the DIFC, the award for Best Government Initiative for drafting the first Trust Law in the Middle East.
She is a mother of four, three girls and one boy, with whom she shares all her wisdom, “watching those seeds sprout.” She loves driving sports bikes and loves good food, an inheritance from her Italian origin. Roberta is also passionate about designing jewelry and founded a contemporary jewelery brand that inspires women to be bold. In addition to being fluent in English, Italian, and French, she also has conversational skills in Arabic and Spanish.
Roberta’s journey still unfolds. “Each day I practice blind faith, and I am getting better at it.”
Join us for a call with this fervent seeker of the soul, and passionate change-maker.
