A Chat with Alia Eshaq, Founder and CEO at Sustainability Consultancy: Mashora Group

Mashora is Arabic for ‘genuine advice’, which is what we stand for.

We provide top sustainability experts on demand. We are a marketplace for consultants in areas such as environmental impact, corporate strategy, engineering, market research. Etc. We believe that proper integration of sustainability cuts across all functions within a business, and therefore it is important to have access to a wide network of experts who can help a business in anything from its supply chain to corporate strategy to more technical areas such as carbon footprint assessment.

One of our core beliefs as a business is that sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, and we have the experts that companies need to unlock opportunities in the market without compromising social, environmental or business prosperity.
 
 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
I grew up in Yemen and witnessed firsthand the results of conflict and poverty in my country. After leaving Yemen, I worked as a peace-builder in Germany while still focusing on Yemen. I have a passion for creating social impact, and this is where the idea for Mashora came from. Having worked for years with governments and international organisations, I came to the realization that the private sector is the best driver for impactful change. Some of the best inventions and solutions for our modern time challenges have been driven by businesses.

I’m determined to influence the corporate sector. We would like to show businesses how they can create a positive societal impact and make a profit simultaneously.
In 2018, I moved to the UK to set up Mashora. I believe my understanding of economic development and country-specific sustainability challenges enable me to build bridges between businesses and the experts they need.
 

How has the company evolved during the pandemic?

 
The pandemic has accelerated the need for businesses to embed sustainability in the very culture of what they do daily. We have created new ways for more companies to access our experts, including a membership system. We are a hotline for sustainability-related requests and inquiries, and we help companies find the experts that they need.

We have taken on more experts to work with us as part of Mashora Group over the last year, and grown the depth of the knowledge we have on tap.
 

What can we hope to see from Mashora Group in the future?

 
Sustainability is the future of business, so we believe we provide a vital service for companies globally. Our vision is to grow our presence further and to expand the team of experts so that we have deep knowledge of sustainability, culture and business in every country globally.