Africa: Eight Moroccans among top 10 African Francophone businesswomen

Eight Moroccans have featured among the top 10 African Francophone leading businesswomen in a ranking established by the renowned Paris-based Jeune Afrique.

Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, leader of the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM, employers’ union) tops the ranking.  She received recognition from Jeune Afrique, which reports that the 53-year old woman, who also heads the Holmarcom Group – Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, is also reckoned for her managing qualities in the Moroccan business world and beyond. She is member of the boards of directors of prestigious companies, including Eutelsat, Suez and the central bank of Morocco, to name but a few. More recently she sat in the board of Renault-Nissan, notes the magazine.

Two other Moroccan women occupy the second and the third spots. The president of the Ynna Holding group, Mama Tajmouati, came in the second spot, followed by the CEO of the agro-food group Diana Holding, Rita Zniber.

Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, the CEO of Aksal Group, came in fourth, while Saham Finances’ Executive Director Nadia Fettah came in fifth.

To establish the ranking, Jeune Afrique’s editorial team short-listed more than 100 leaders of the largest companies in French-speaking Africa.

The selection was based on three main criteria, namely the company’s workforce and social status; its turnover and economic power; and the manager’s position within the firm and her ability to influence economic and political decisions at the national and international levels.

In total 13 Moroccan women have been named by Jeune Afrique in the ranking of the 50 leading African Francophone businesswomen.