THE VOICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

As the pace of change accelerates in Saudi Arabia, Hawazen Nazieh Nassief is helping to turn environmental and social responsibility into a priority for businesses across the country.

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At this time of surging energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty, the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is playing a pivotal role in the reshaping of the global economy. Hawazen Nazieh Nassief, one of the country's leading champions of environmental and social responsibility, is helping to put sustainability at the heart of this new era.

"We can use today's challenges to drive things forward and come out of difficult situations stronger," she says. "Sustainable practices are being adopted in Saudi Arabia and in more and more countries. As a global community, we can save the world." Hawazen is no stranger to challenges.

After a long stint in charge of ESG at an oil company in Houston, she is now back in Saudi Arabia working with some of the world's largest institutions to enhance sustainability practices, and she oversees sustainability strategies at private and public companies in multiple sectors across the Saudi economy. The progress she is seeing in her home country is enormously encouraging to her.

"There is tremendous interest in ensuring that Saudi companies are at the same level as their international peers when it comes to sustainability," Hawazen says. "For new companies and new projects, there is always a sustainability component. The whole world is moving in this direction, and Saudi Arabia is no different."

To meet the targets of the country's Vision 2030 roadmap and achieve net zero by 2060, the Kingdom is reducing emissions from oil and gas production and strengthening its infrastructure for renewable and clean energy.