‘Business, home life and environment’ on Giselle Borg Olivier’s mind

This has been a roller coaster year for Zaar Crowdfunding Malta Manager Giselle Borg Olivier who took over the reins of the company at the beginning of 2022 and hasn’t looked back since. As a working mother this has not been an easy decision, especially considering the added responsibility. Indeed, she is very much aware of her need to deliver quality in both aspects of her life.

However, Ms Borg Olivier is not one to shy away from demands. On the contrary she is very much drawn to them and is used to looking for the opportunity in every challenge. “This was something I was ready to take on because I realised the massive opportunity that it presented from both a professional and a personal angle,” she told MaltaCEOs.mt.

Once she accepted this new role, one of the main hurdles to overcome was the fact that, as is generally the case with small businesses, “there’s only so much that can be done with the resources available.”

Despite this, Ms Borg Olivier expresses her hope “that the start-up and entrepreneurial sector will continue being given attention from a national perspective, and that more people approach their business setbacks with an enterprising mindset.”

What’s admirable when speaking to someone like Ms Borg Oliver is her willingness to help others, especially those who are in a similar situation. She speaks of entrepreneurs in a caring, almost nurturing manner. “We want to be there for entrepreneurs and enterprising people,” she says.

Apart from entrepreneurship, another aspect which Zaar’s Malta Manager feels strongly about is sustainability, and the role this plays in making the world a better place. “I really wish to see more efforts being done to safeguard the environment because the lack of clean air, the excessive heat due to the decrease of trees, and the increase in pollution due to the incessant traffic are having a gravely negative impact on the quality of life in Malta, leading to issues in both physical and mental health for people,” she says.

“Sustainability is an important issue for me, and I want it to receive more tangible attention from Government and from private businesses, especially large corporations, to contribute positively to the use of sustainable resources in favour of other options, that may be cheaper but that have a negative long-lasting effect on the planet,” Ms Borg Olivier adds clearly expressing how strongly she feels about this topic.

This past year has been challenging yet positive for the entrepreneur, a year which she describes as “being full of opportunities but which also taught her what it means to be resilient.”

“2022 has been remarkably positive till now, so hopefully that trend will continue,” she says as the attention shifts towards the coming year. “We need people to be more enterprising in their thought process and develop solutions that will help their community and society at large. We are already seeing many positive developments in this regard, and we hope to see this trend continue,” Ms Borg Olivier adds.

Broadening her lens, she insists that on a national level, she hopes to see “positive changes to our surroundings from the individual who can make a difference by not littering, to the government that can curb urban development in favour of greening measures.”

“Actions have long-term effects, and spending our days engulfed by concrete towers inhaling exhaust from cars stuck in inevitable traffic jams is a slippery slope to a very unhealthy and unhappy nation,” she warns.

“Moreover, by doing our bit to improve the state of this island, we’d be contributing to the issue of climate change, so it’s an ultimate win-win situation. And will go beyond just 2023,” Ms Borg Olivier concluded.