Tatiana Antonelli Abella is the Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, a Social Enterprise established in 2009 and dedicated to raising awareness among the local community on Sustainability and Green Living.
Goumbook is one of the oldest Social Enterprises in the UAE and today it 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 campaign to help businesses and individuals reduce single use plastics, and SustainableMena, a business directory dedicated to promoting sustainable products and services in the region.
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 16 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.