What if success wasn’t just about what you earned but about who you lifted?

That’s the question Dr Malini Saba has quietly answered with her life’s work. Not in headlines filled with hype, but in actions that speak louder than any brand slogan ever could. Her journey is not the story of a woman who built empires ; it’s the story of a woman who never forgot where she came from, even as the world handed her keys to places she never imagined.

She grew up in a middle-class immigrant family, raised by parents who taught her the kind of values one doesn’t put on a resume – resilience, humility, and the belief that if you ever become someone, you should never forget to help someone.

She once wanted to be a doctor; her dream was to heal. But fate had other plans. It nudged her into business. And while the boardrooms and balance sheets came, the heart behind it all never left.

Dr Saba didn’t build businesses for applause. She built them to fix things: to feed, to shelter, to heal, and to empower.

Through the Saba Group, she stepped into industries like agriculture, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, fintech, and real estate. On paper, they’re sectors. In her world, they’re lifelines. She’s worked with farmers in emerging markets to improve trade. She’s invested in healthcare systems to bring medicine to those who often go unseen. She’s put capital into fintech to help families access financial tools they’ve never had before.

And it wasn’t just business for business’ sake. Every single venture had one rule: it must do good.

It’s no wonder she’s been recognised globally – from receiving the Kalpana Chawla Award for Outstanding Woman of the Year to being named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Business Women’s Network in Washington, D.C. But if you ask her, she’ll probably change the subject. That’s not what drives her.

What drives her are people.

Like the girl in Nepal who dreams of college but doesn’t have the funds. The woman entrepreneur in Cambodia who’s building her own future, brick by brick. The frontline community workers in Mumbai that she supports through Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA). The refugee mother who finds safe shelter and healthcare, supported by the Women’s Refugee Commission.

That’s what lights the fire.

Through her philanthropic arm, the Saba Family Foundation, which she founded in 2002 to honour her father , she’s touched lives across the world. She’s partnered with institutions like Stanford University Medical Centre and El Camino Hospital, where she donated $1 million to create the first-ever Heart Research Centre for South Asians. She pledged $10 million for tsunami rehabilitation in India and Sri Lanka long before it was a headline.

She sits on the Advisory Board of the Mother Teresa Foundation. She collaborates with the Clinton Foundation. She has walked the halls of policy, advocacy, and grassroots reform, all while raising a daughter, caring for five dogs and four cats, and writing a cookbook, The Abbreviated Cook, based on a decade of global travels and flavours.

And yet, she remains deeply, achingly human.

She still cooks. Still writes. Still answers messages from young women trying to start their own thing. Still listens more than she speaks.

Her story is not just inspiring ; it’s grounding.

Because we live in a world where capitalism often feels like a machine. But Dr Saba shows us it doesn’t have to be. That you can be ambitious and kind. Fierce and gentle. Rich in money and richer in meaning.

She’s joined a growing constellation of women leaders ; think Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey, and Indra Nooyi , who are redefining what power looks like. Not just the kind that sits at the top of a skyscraper but the kind that bends down and helps someone rise.

So why does her story matter to you and me?

Because we’re all building something. Maybe it’s a company. Maybe it’s a family. Maybe it’s just a dream we’ve kept on the shelf for too long. And maybe we’ve wondered, Can I do this in a way that feels right? That feels good?

Dr Saba’s life whispers back, “Yes. Yes, you can.”

Because when you build with conscience ; with love, with integrity, with your feet on the ground and your heart in the right place; you build something that lasts. You build something that matters.

And in a world craving more kindness, that’s the most revolutionary thing you can do.