About us

President of the Institute

Abdelmalek Alaoui

Abdelmalek Alaoui is a Consultant and author. He manages the Guépard Group firm he founded in January 2015. In March 2015, he was named “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Previously, Abdelmalek Alaoui created and developed, from 2008 to 2015, Global Intelligence Partners. It’s a global strategy consulting company, specialized in economic intelligence active throughout West Africa, which has quickly acquired the position of leader in its zone. In January 2015, Global Intelligence Partners was the subject of a friendly acquisition by the Mazars group, where Abdelmalek Alaoui has since held the position of Senior Advisor in the executive committee.

Abdelmalek Alaoui is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris. He holds an MBA from HEC and a third cycle from the School of Economic Warfare. He regularly delivers his economic analyzes in the columns of the Plus of the “Nouvel Observateur” and also contributes within the American magazine “Forbes”. He is the author of several books and owns the Huffington Post Maroc and La Tribune Afrique.

Honorary President

Mohamed Driss Alaoui Mdaghri

Professor Driss Alaoui Mdaghri is a university teacher, writer and poet. He currently heads the Fès Saiss Association, the Foundation for World Cultures, the Advisory Board of “ESSEC Africa”, the Jury of Research Awards in Economics and Management of the ” l’Économiste ” and the Board of Directors of the Salima Holding company.

Driss Alaoui Mdaghri was a minister for almost ten years. He has held the following portfolios: Minister of communication and government spokesman (1995-1998), minister of youth and sports (1993-1995), minister of energy and mines (1990-1993), and secretary of state for foreign affairs in charge of the Arab Maghreb Union (1989-1990).

Driss Alaoui Mdaghri led many organizations. He headed the Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration (ISCAE), the first management school in Morocco from 1976 to 1982. He also led the Islamic Center for Trade Development (CIDC), which is a subsidiary organ of the Organization of the Islamic Conference from 1982 to 1989. Moreover, he led many local and regional institutions such as the Maghreb Center for Administrative Studies and Research in Algiers, the Sucrerie Nationale Of Tadla and the Compensation Fund in Morocco.

Driss Alaoui Mdaghri holds a PhD in Law from Nice University. He is also a graduate in sociology and holds a graduate degree in management from the International Center for Professional and Technical Development of the BIT in Turin.

He is the author of several works in various fields: “Law and Management of Public Enterprises in Morocco”, “En Quête de Mots”, “Regards Obliques”, “Librement”, “Casablanca”, “Advertising in Morocco” , “Poetic Refugee”, “Follow Your Way”….

General Secretary

Najib Benamour

Najib Benamour is an expert economist specialized in macroeconomics and development economics. He has spent his entire career in the Moroccan administration and has held several leadership positions.

He started as a project manager for the Prime Minister. He was part of the small team that studied the Moroccan public sector under the leadership of Minister Abdellatif Jouahri. Afterwards, he was chief of staff for the Minister of Finance and participated in the development and implementation of the PAS.

Najib Benamour was successively responsible for the studies and investments at the Prime Minister’s Office, chairman of the investment commissions, conventions and simplification of international trade procedures.

Najib Benamour was also a member of the national accounting council and its general rapporteur. He has been a member of the Board of Bank Al-Maghrib for more than six years. He was the General Manager of the Compensation Fund for more than 17 years.

Now, he is a member of several think tanks and consultant for the World Bank.

He was an advisor in the study on the unified social register.

He is also an adviser for a brokerage firm SAGFI.

Treasurer

Naoufal Semlali

Naoufal Semlali is a graduate of ESSEC and holds a PhD in pharmacy. He is the general secretary of the Guépard group. In the light of this, he interacts with the company’s subsidiaries as well as with its national and international clients.

General Secretary at CCI

Mohamed Ourdedine

Mohamed Ourdedine holds a law degree in political science and a graduate diploma in management from ISCAE.

After an experience in several sectors, like maritime trade, ships exploitation, higher education, real estate, the associative sector and the council, he is currently the general secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Morocco CCI and the secretary of the Moroccan Court of Arbitration.

Associate Director at Online Value Agency

Fatim-Zahra Saadani

Fatim-Zahra Saadani is associate director of the Online Value agency specialized in digital marketing. She is also mandated to specific missions related to institutional communication in general, influence and E-reputation in particular.

For six years, she held the position of Head of Communication within Casablanca Finance City Authority. The position allowed her to understand the regional institutional universe.

Fatim-zahra Saadani was previously the Executive Director within Saga Memac Ogilvy. With over a 15 years experience in the field of Communication and Public Relations, she has held strategic positions in a communication and press relations consulting agency. In 2010 she was appointed expert member of the cultural council of the Elysée cell of the Union for the Mediterranean. In 2012, she was named member of the board of directors of Al Amana.

Fatim-zahra Saadani holds a diploma in business administration, specialized in marketing communication and public relations. She has also received a short training in parliamentary lobbying at Sciences Po Paris.

She is also active with a number of charities.

Economist

Mohamed H’midouche

Mohamed H’Midouche is an economist by training. He spent his entire professional career (36 years) in the African Development Bank (BAD) group where he held the following positions: Personal Assistant to the President; Deputy Director at the European office in London; Head of the Cooperation Unit; Resident Representative in Egypt; Non-Resident Representative in Tunisia; Regional Resident Representative in West Africa, Director and Vice-President and Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Review and Implementation of the Decentralization Strategy of the African Development Bank Group (BAD).

After leaving the African Development Bank in July 2014, Mohamed H’Midouche has carried out the following activities, among others: CEO of the INTER AFRICA CAPITAL GROUP (IACG); Executive Vice-President of the African Diplomatic Academy; General Delegate for North Africa and the Middle East; responsible for International Cooperation and Development; Honorary Consul of Cape Verde in Morocco; Vice-President of the Moroccan Association of Exporters; Member of the Moroccan Institute of International Relations (IMRI).

Expert in public relations

Khadija Idrissi Janati

Khadija is an entrepreneur, an expert in public relations and influence communication.

Since 2009, Khadija has created many companies in the communication sector. She has also created and managed several printed and digital media over the past 10 years. Now, she heads Tea And Koffee, a public relations and influence communication consultancy and support agency, operating in Morocco and Africa.

Persuaded of the potential of Africa and the need to promote the economic integration of the continent, Khadija co-founded I-Afrika. It’s a network of African entrepreneurs who aims to develop intra-African trade and South-South economic cooperation. She is also the founder and president of the African Trade and Investment Summit. She has also founded the Ifrane Forum, which brings together economic operators and political actors from different African countries in Morocco each year, to create opportunities of collaboration for the development of South – South cooperation.

Moreover, Khadija is committed to the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship and the economic empowerment of women. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Women Business Owners of Morocco and a founding member of the Moroccan Mentoring and Networking Network. She is part of many national and international organizations dealing with the issue. She is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris in several programs to strengthen female leadership such as VV LEAD and Global Ambassadors of Vital Voices and Women of Tomorrow in the Mediterranean.

In September 2014, Khadija was received by President Barack Obama in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the work of civil society in Morocco and the region. In 2016, she was appointed as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Khadija is a regular contributor to national and regional media on topics related to women’s empowerment, youth entrepreneurship and social development.

CEO of La Marocaine Des Jeux et Des Sports (MDJS)

Younes El Mecharfi

Younes El Mechrafi is the CEO of La Marocaine Des Jeux et Des Sports (MDJS), . He began his professional career in France, in a unit of the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) as a research professor. Back in Morocco, he joined SOMAV. In 2003, he held the position of Special Advisor of the Minister in the Department of Justice. In 2006, Younes El Mechrafi joined the private sector as the CEO of Archos Conseil, a computer engineering Service Company, a subsidiary of the ONA group. He holds a master’s degree MIAGE and a DESS in computer engineering from the University of Lille.

Doctor of economic science

Ahmed Azirar

Ahmed Azirar holds a PhD in Economics. He also holds national and foreign certificates in international management, international negotiation and project management. He is a university professor of economics, international trade and market intelligence. He has experience in administrative management, ministerial cabinet and business, administrative and professional association counseling. He is the founder of the Moroccan Association of Business Economists AMEEN, co-founder of the Moroccan Institute of Strategic Intelligence IMIS and the MOROCCAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES AMSE. Hi is also an associate researcher at the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies IRES. He received the Wissam of the Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Morocco in 2014 and a distinction for services rendered by the World Customs Organization in 2011.

Editor of l’Economiste

Mohamed Benabid

Mohamed Benabid is the editor of l’Economiste. He holds a double PhD in management sciences and in information and communication sciences. He has also graduated from the Strasbourg School of Journalism. He was part of the main core that created The Moroccan Association of Economic Intelligence AMIE in 2006. He also provides teaching and research activities as an associate member of the research laboratory in scientific engineering of organizations (ISO) at the National Business and Management School ENCG Casablanca-Hassan II University and as a university professor in journalism, media and communication.

Manager at Guepard Group

Salma Bachir El Bouhali

Salma Bachir El Bouhali is a graduate of Neoma Business School and from the normal cycle of the Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration (ISCAE).
She has started her career as a Consultant within Global Intelligence Partner. She then joined Guépard. Salma Bachir is an expert in brand strategies. She leads strategy and execution missions for large national players as well as multinationals established in Africa, including the establishment of operations of activation and branding.

She has assisted, in this respect, the L’Oréal group, Veolia, the Central Reinsurance Company and the Casablanca Finance City in the deployment of influence strategies. She also has a leading experience in project management.