Casablanca – Khalid Baddou now heads UM6P Hospitals, taking responsibility for the university’s growing healthcare operations after a career that has included senior positions in communications, marketing, business, and institutional affairs.
Baddou joined Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in March 2018 and has served as Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Institutional Affairs. His role has involved strategic engagement, institutional relations, and initiatives linking the university with partners in Morocco, Africa, and beyond.
His appointment comes as UM6P continues to expand its health ecosystem around the Faculty of Medical Sciences and UM6P Hospitals. The university says the system brings together clinical care, medical education, research, and innovation.
Since the start of operations, the hospital has treated more than 10,000 patients through consultations, hospitalizations, procedures, and surgery. UM6P says the infrastructure can reach 400 beds at full scale and includes a 3 Tesla MRI, operating rooms equipped for minimally invasive and robotic surgery, a medical biology platform, medical genetics and genomics services, and a fully robotized hospital pharmacy.
Baddou brings a long corporate and communications background to the position. He began his career at Al Akhawayn University, where he worked in external communications. He later held positions at Insight Communication and MindShare before joining Nestlé Maghreb, where he worked on marketing services, communications, market research, and business development.
He then moved into the pharmaceutical sector with Merck, serving as communications director for Morocco, Tunisia, and Francophone Africa. From 2015 to 2017, he worked as Western Union’s Director of Communication for Africa, handling areas including corporate reputation, media relations, and external communications.
Baddou has also maintained an interest in professional development and public policy. He served as president of the Al Akhawayn Alumni Association from 2009 to 2012 and founded the Moroccan Association of Marketing and Communication in 2013. He later became involved in initiatives focused on Morocco’s national brand, communication, and economic development.
His academic background includes studies at Al Akhawayn University, an Executive Master’s in Collective Intelligence from UM6P, and further training at Harvard Business School and Sciences Po.
At UM6P, Baddou has also taken on a broader African role. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of EvoSport, UM6P’s sports subsidiary, and Chairman of the Digital Farming School, UM6P’s branch in Côte d’Ivoire.
He founded Bridge Africa, a platform that brings together young leaders from across the continent. He founded Bridge Africa, a platform that brings together young leaders from across the continent. The first Bridge Africa Summit in 2024 gathered around 140 young people from 25 African countries, while the 2025 edition brought together 130 young leaders from more than 30 countries.
More recently, Baddou has represented UM6P in international discussions on higher education, artificial intelligence, innovation, and Africa’s development. He also served as chairperson of the International Campus of Excellence and has held leadership roles in African and global initiatives linked to health, agriculture, and phosphorus management.
The new appointment places that institutional and international experience inside one of UM6P’s expanding sectors, as the university continues to develop its hospital and medical sciences ecosystem in Benguerir.
