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Rabat – Moroccan alumni Sophia Alj and Ismael Belkhayat were named Alumni of the Year in the Entrepreneur category at the 204th annual gala of ESCP Business School, becoming the first Moroccans to receive this prestigious honor.
The annual gala showcases the exceptional achievements of former students. The selection process involves pre-screening by the school’s faculty, followed by a vote from the entire alumni community.
This remarkable recognition highlights the significant presence of Moroccan students in France’s renowned grandes écoles, where they constitute the largest group of foreign students in top engineering and business schools.
Sophia Alj and Ismael Belkhayat named Alumni of the Year in the Entrepreneur category at the 204th annual gala of ESCP Business School
Alj and Belkhayat are the co-founders of Chari, an e-commerce app helping small retailers in French-speaking Africa procure inventory for their stores and get delivered for free while benefiting from payment facilities.
Their innovative approach has garnered attention and investment, with Chari recently securing a second funding round from global innovation platform Plug and Play. This investment serves as a testament to Chari’s potential to revolutionize operations and stock replenishment processes in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets in developing countries.
This latest investment is a significant milestone for Chari, enabling them to expand their operations, strengthen their technological infrastructure, and solidify their position as a key player in the B2B e-commerce industry.
Sophia Alj’s achievements extend beyond Chari. In May 2022, she ranked 8th in the “20 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands 2022” list, further highlighting her entrepreneurial prowess and influence in the tech industry.
Read Also: Two Moroccans on Forbes’ ‘Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands’ List
Founded in 1819, ESCP Business School is renowned for its academic excellence and extensive network of alumni. With campuses in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin, and Warsaw, the institution has trained and produced over 45,000 graduates worldwide.
Among its notable alumni are Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi, Michel Barnier, the EU chief negotiator for Brexit; and Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister under Jacques Chirac.
The school’s Master in Finance program has also recently achieved global recognition, ranking first worldwide in the 2023 Financial Times Masters in Finance ranking.
