Saffron Gilbert-Kaluba was just a child growing up in England when she first heard her grandfather lament the idea of imported fruit, a stark contrast to the life he once knew in Saint Lucia. Today, she’s a CEO, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, and a UK United Nations ambassador hoping to redirect ethical investment flows back to Saint Lucia, with a focus on curbing brain drain and bolstering agriculture and education.
Her journey didn’t unfold on a whim; it’s been six years in the making. At 19, while studying at Durham University, Gilbert-Kaluba recognised the systemic barriers faced by marginalised communities, particularly the lack of access to legal and commercial awareness. In response, she co-founded The Corporate Law Journal, an initiative designed to make legal literature more accessible and digestible for underserved populations.
“We really wanted to unlock those barriers to education, which should be accessible to all so that people can move forward and progress,” she told St Lucia Times. The journal earned her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing.
Gilbert-Kaluba later founded The Law Chronicle, a consultancy that helps financial institutions meet regulatory and compliance standards. That work paved the way for her current role as UK ambassador to the United Nations Net Zero Facility, where she advises member states on sustainable, compliant investment strategies.
“A company putting a pledge to a sustainable project can essentially make or break the biosphere or environment that they’re doing it in,” she explained. Her role includes researching emerging ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations and best practices to ensure investments safeguard ecosystems, bringing her mission full circle to her Saint Lucian roots.
“It translates to Saint Lucia in the sense that global investors will be able to see the good that they can do collaborating on projects in the country, and it trickles down and benefits the economy for citizens. It gives them the opportunity to upskill and be part of something bigger.”
Now, Gilbert-Kaluba says, is the perfect time for her to set sail to Saint Lucia and expand the reach of her work. She has already begun conversations with local stakeholders and hopes to host summits to foster the kind of dialogue and networking necessary for ethical, environmentally conscious partnerships.
“I’d love to try to work with and bring summits to Saint Lucia where you can look towards the digital future and essentially Saint Lucia can be looked at as a place where innovation can be cultivated and grown.” She believes such initiatives can create an environment where people are inspired to stay and build, ultimately combating brain drain.
She’s eyeing sectors like agriculture and education, hoping to highlight existing talent while helping to foster an environment where the sectors can be nurtured further.
“Obviously, with tourism, Saint Lucia is one of the best in terms of how we cultivate ourselves and show the beauty of the island, but also for things like agriculture as well – really showing us as a very powerful force, even though we are a smaller island.”
