Rabat – The Choiseul 100 African has returned this year for its 9th edition, and 12 Moroccan leaders in private and public institutions were featured in the continental list.
Initiated in 2014 to celebrate Africa’s young leaders, every year the ranking identifies 100 leaders aged 40 or below who play an important role in the development of more than 16 sectors in Africa, including energy, agrifood, and infrastructure.
Welcoming this year’s selection, the Founder and President of Institut Choiseul Pascal Lorot stated that “The Choiseul 100 Africa aims to shed the light upon the young men and women who are successful and have the ambition of lifting Africa to its highest level of economic, societal and cultural development.”
The Choiseul 100 Africa aims to highlight the dynamism of Africa’s young decision-makers, by honoring business and institutional leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovative project leaders. Choiseul Africa operates in 16 business sectors that support African growth. Therefore, the selection represents the diversity and dynamism of a forward-thinking continent.
“It is impossible to showcase all the talents on the continent with just 100 names,” Lorot added as he highlighted the growing interest in corporate social responsibility among young decision-makers. “The new leadership integrates impact as a real KPI [Key Performance Index], reshaping the local ecosystems.”
With 12 features in the African ranking, the Moroccan leadership shined in the regional list. The selected leaders are set to gather in Casablanca on October 19-20 to attend the Choiseul Africa Business Forum.
Organized by Institut Choiseul in partnership with the General Confederation of Moroccan Entreprises (CGEM) and the Casablanca-Settat Region, the forum will gather 600 economic and institutional decision-makers from Africa, Europe, and Gulf in an effort to revitalize cooperation between the Mediterranean shores.
Celebrated Moroccan leaders
Twelve Moroccan business and institutional leaders featured in this year’s Choiseul 100 Africa. Previously, the selection for economic leaders featured 10 Moroccans, with Abdellatif Kabbaj, Managing Director at Softgroup, landing the highest rank for a Moroccan at sixth position on the list.
This year, three of the selected decision-markers are responsible for subsidiaries operating in Morocco or Africa. The list notably included the CEO of Fadesa Maroc Saad Sefrioui in 15th position, Managing Director of Stellantis in Sub-Saharan Africa Badreiddine Mansouri (34th), and CEO of Allianz Trade Morocco Hicham Bensaid Alaoui (42th).
The ranking further included five entries of business leaders of Moroccan companies including the CEO of Sanam Agro, Mehdi Alj who featured among Africa’s top 10 business leaders.
Besides Alj, CEO of Arma Group Youssef Ahizoune ranked 21st, ahead of Mutandis Group’s Managing Director Mehdi Bennouna (61st), Nareva’s Business Development Project Director Hamza El Kabbaj (82th), and Koutoubia’s Director of Strategy and Development Mohamed Intidam (89th).
Alongside the eight Moroccan business leaders, Founder and Managing Partner of Casablanca-based pan-African consulting firm AfricaDev Najwa El Iraki also featured in the prestigious list in the 96th position.
As business leaders dominated Moroccan entries in the African ranking, three Moroccan institutional leaders made it to the list. They include Managing Director of Morocco’s Office of Professional Training and Work Promotion (OFPPT) Loubna Tricha (26th), General Manager of Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency Ali Seddiki (37th), and Chief of Staff to Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Amine Soulami Belhaj (79th).
As the 12 Moroccan leaders celebrated this year by Institut Choiseul play an integral role in advancing domestic economic activities, the representation of women among the selected leaders remains low with only two entries.
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