Before co-founding ORMEX, Goulnara built a strong career in fintech and technology. But her time at INSEAD was transformational. More than just a business education, it gave her the mindset and tools to navigate complexity while staying focused on impact.
“One moment that marked me was during a strategy course,” she recalls. “The professor asked: What is progress, and who is it for? That question never left me. It reminds me to stay rooted in the perspective of those we serve.”
Those questions are central to ORMEX, a company she co-founded to help address climate change and food insecurity by scaling regenerative agriculture. ORMEX works across countries like Benin, Zambia, Egypt, India, and Brazil - partnering with governments and local communities to certify agriculture projects that generate high-quality carbon credits. These credits, in turn, unlock the financing needed to build resilience and scale up sustainable food systems.
“At ORMEX, we don’t start with the global market… we start with the farmers, the soil, and the food system,” she says. “We work from the ground up.”
For Goulnara, the biggest challenge in impact entrepreneurship is the disconnect between global capital and local realities. She sees emerging economies as rich in innovation and urgency but often viewed as too high-risk by institutions and investors.
“Impact isn’t just about doing good,” she explains. “It’s about shifting power—creating systems where local actors have the tools, trust, and capital to lead.”
That mindset is deeply rooted in her INSEAD experience. The strategic thinking, global network, and sense of mission all continue to play a role in her work. ORMEX’s strategic advisory board includes INSEAD alumni, and many of its early investors came from the INSEAD community.
“I still connect with alumni around the world - it’s how I develop. INSEAD is a big part of this journey.”
At ChangeNOW, Goulnara brought a powerful message: that new models of financing climate solutions must be inclusive, trusted, and community led. Through ORMEX, she’s helping build that model, where regenerative agriculture drives not just carbon removal, but long-term resilience and local food sovereignty.
