Purpose & Profit: SDG Talks 2026 is a year‑long series designed to help businesses embed sustainability into their core operations. Across 12 sessions, expert speakers share practical, actionable insights demonstrating how aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can strengthen your bottom line while creating meaningful community impact.
Each month explores a different dimension of purpose‑driven business—highlighting real strategies, real results, and real opportunities for growth.
This month, we welcome Mariam Lawani for a session on
Purpose as Core Strategy: Sustainability as a Strategic Business Advantage.
Mariam brings 18 years of experience across education and waste management, specializing in the circular economy as a driver of business growth. She has shared her insights on CNN, at Michigan State University, and on more than 20 international panels and podcasts. Now advancing her ESG expertise at the University of Toronto, Mariam is known for translating complex sustainability goals into practical, people‑centered impact within the Kitchener‑Waterloo community.
Key takeaways for participants:
- To master the Sustainable Pivot: Learn the practical steps to transition their current operations into high‑performance, sustainable business models.
- Prioritize for High‑Impact: Identify the most urgent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to focus their resources where they can drive progress further and faster.
- Position Sustainability as a Strategic Edge — not just a moral code: Reframe sustainability as a core competitive advantage rather than a checklist, and clarify their unique leadership role in driving that change.
