Karimah Hudda is the founder of illumine.earth and a systems change expert with over two decades of experience across 40+ countries. She has worked with diverse organisations, from coffee farms in Sumatra to Fortune 500 companies, driving systems change in sustainability, human rights, and livelihoods.

Your journey started in a close-knit community. Do you think that sense of connection shaped your approach to purposeful leadership?

Purpose is in my DNA. I was born into a family that worked to address poverty and inequality – not as charity, but because they believed in everyone’s right to flourish. From this, I’ve come to understand that being privileged comes with responsibility.

One of the core lessons I learned growing up is that having more doesn’t make you more. Privilege is often a product of chance and circumstance across generations. That belief has shaped my mission, to fight inequality and create opportunities for people to rise. Whether it’s climate change, extreme poverty, or the destruction of nature, these are all symptoms of a deeper issue: a lack of consciousness. We need to be more aware of how our actions affect others and future generations.

How else has your family background influenced your philosophy?

My family’s philosophy stems from a lineage of Ismaili Muslims, where gender equity, higher education, and community care were emphasised. My journey started in a small town in India with a population of just 15,000, where community was at the heart of everything. From there, I moved to the United States and began working in the fair trade movement, helping to grow it by 30-40%. We built a coalition where farmers and workers co-owned the system, leading to a retail impact of over €4 billion.

You’ve worked with global giants like Mondelēz and Nike. How do you drive change within such vast structures?

For me, it always comes down to people. I’ve travelled extensively and lived in different cultures, and one constant is that there are always individuals within organisations who have a spark, they just need the right conditions to ignite it.

Often, these aren’t sustainability professionals but business leaders who, in their personal lives, worry about climate change or inequality. They care about their children’s future but have been conditioned to believe that sustainability isn’t their job. My role has been to help them see that it is. By taking them to the ground, to plantations, farms and communities, they witness the real impact of their decisions. It’s not about telling them what to do, but about helping them see how they want to lead moving forward. 

Many organisations are abandoning sustainability commitments. What would you say to leaders to help them reconnect with the impact they have?

I’d remind them that we were meant to flourish. Humanity often questions its purpose, but after years of experience and deep reflection, I truly believe our purpose is to thrive collectively. Our flourishing is interconnected: people, planet, and prosperity cannot be separated. Leaders are often given limiting beliefs, being told they must always pursue more profit, more production, and more sales. But if you think back to when you were a child, all you wanted was to play, explore and grow. That inner light still exists within us all.