Bio

Tatiana Antonelli Abella is the Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, a Social Enterprise established in 2009 dedicated to Sustainability and Green Living in the UAE and beyond. Today Goumbook manages different projects such as Give a Ghaf and Trees Matter, regional and global tree planting programs, to encourage reforestation and rehabilitation of ecosystems; Drop It - Rethink Plastic, to help businesses and individuals reduce single use plastics; and Eat It or Save it, to drive awareness about food waste in partnership with UAE Food Bank, proposing solutions that use circular economy thinking and nature based approaches. Most recently Goumbook was proud to conceptualise and project manage Dubai Can, a campaign by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Tatiana sits on the Engage Committee, under Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s umbrella and has been nominated Environmental Ambassador for the Middle East Youth Expo. She also acts as an advisor to events such as Art Dubai or the Emirates Literature Festival to help them be more sustainable. Since 2012 she has been proud to be a judge of the Gulf Capital SME Awards for the ‘Most Sustainable Business of the Year’. In 2020 Tatiana also joined the Advisory Board of the Gulf Sustainability Awards. In April 2019 Tatiana started Forward Talks, a weekly podcast highlighting leaders and professionals who, through their work, entrepreneurship and commitment promote positive impact and sustainability in the UAE and beyond. During her 17 years in the UAE, Tatiana has garnered a strong reputation and she is actively involved in the green arena: in 2021 she was nominated by LinkedIn as a UAE Top Voice in Sustainability. Considered one of UAE's top environmental influencers, she contributes regularly to media and at conferences in her role as a green business leader in the country.