Interviews

Helmy Abouleish is Chief Executive Officer of the SEKEM Initiative, which seeks to promote sustainable ecological, economic, and socio-cultural development in Egypt. Founded by his father Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977, SEKEM produces diversified organic products for sale in Egypt and internationally. Abouleish begins the interview by reflecting on his childhood near Graz, Austria, where he gained a deep appreciation for the natural environment and first became acquainted with the philosophical writings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy and biodynamic agriculture. Steiner’s concept of “social three-folding” distinguishing society’s political, economic, and cultural spheres provides the inspiration for SEKEM’s mission to advocate for sustainable development and community-building.

Moving to Egypt with his family at the age of 16, Abouleish reflects on his father’s founding vision for SEKEM as an “intentional community in the desert based on biodynamic agriculture and on what he called the economy of love.” He explains how this “economy of love” encourages cooperation between farmers and consumers. During the organization’s first few years, the young Abouleish worked with SEKEM’s farmers to implement biodynamic agriculture in the desert, while his father primarily focused on the initiative’s management and financing at their office in Cairo. This management structure shifted in 1984, when the 22-year-old Abouleish became chief executive of SEKEM following the ill-health of his father. Returning to work the following year, Ibrahim worked together with his son to grow SEKEM as a team. They exported to Europe, which paid a premium for organic products, whilst seeking to develop a local market from scratch.

Abouleish continues the interview by demonstrating the role that SEKEM played in Egypt’s substantial reduction in pesticide use during the 1990’s. Over previous decades, the use of pesticides such as DDT in the Nile Delta had caused enormous environmental damage. After proof of successful results from trials of SEKEM’s plant-control methods, Abouleish explains that the initiative was able to work with the Ministry of Agriculture to “[reduce] Egypt’s pesticide usage more than 90% from one day to the other.”

Elaborating on SEKEM’s commitment to “human development,” Abouleish speaks about the initiative’s investments in education, art, and music. This focus on education led to the establishment of Heliopolis University in 2009, which promotes the teaching of sustainable development principles. Regarding SEKEM’s emphasis on art and music, he explains how allowing for community-members to devote working time to artistic pursuits not only boosts productivity, but allows for the discovery of “their inner call [which is] linked to what the world needs from them.” Abouleish also describes SEKEM’s community-building strategies, including how employees at all levels stand in a circle side-by-side in the morning to outline their daily tasks to one another. He argues that this practice encourages everyone at SEKEM to view one another as equals, fostering a sense of team unity.

Abouleish stresses the importance of international collaboration in the growth of SEKEM. In 1985, he and his father began developing networks of partners with other Anthroposophical businesses in Europe and elsewhere aimed at developing transparent and fair supply chains of organic products. In 1996, the International Association of Partnership was formed which functioned as a sort of think tank, developing a new form of corporate reporting called the ‘sustainable development flower,’ which was used in SEKEM’s sustainability reports after 2007. Abouleish meets with other the leaders of other Anthroposophical businesses in the International Association of Partnership on a regular basis to share knowledge.

Since 2020, Abouleish has overseen the process of handing the SEKEM Initiative’s family ownership over to a stewardship trust in order “to make sure that it continues to serve the original vision and mission, and never comes into a conflict of interest.” He outlines a governance system led by a “future council” comprised of 17 members who focus on the Initiative’s overall direction and appoint the board of directors, who in turn select SEKEM’s CEO. Abouleish concludes the interview by outlining one of SEKEM’s most prominent pursuits for the future – Vision 2057. The long-term project entails 16 “vision goals” to achieve by the year 2057 that encompass ecological, economic, cultural and social aspects of sustainable development in Egypt. He expresses the importance of turning the ambitions of Vision 2057 into reality, using a methodical approach to disseminate SEKEM’s ideas for the advancement of a more sustainable future.

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