NEZHA HAYAT

Nezha Hayat is one of the most influential Moroccan business women. In 2016, she was named the President of the Morocco’s Capital Market Authority (AMMC) which is a public institution whose mission is to ensure the protection of savers and ensure the smooth operation and transparency of capital markets (not just securities) in Morocco. What’s more impressive is her incredible professional career and how she managed to stand out by her abilities and skills that are touted among the international behemoths of the financial sector.

She graduated from the ESSEC Business School in Paris, then started to work in Spain for multiple companies in the banking sector. She worked in Spain for seven years before returning to Morocco to pursue her career. She made most of her professional career at Société Générale in Casablanca where she progressively climbed the ladder. She became CEO of multiple branches, then a Chairperson and finally became a Member of the Managing Board and Head of private and Institutional Banking. She was also a Board member at the CGEM, the representative of the private sector to governments and institutions.

She was the first woman to have joined the management board of a banking institution in Morocco. Moreover, she is also a social activist that fights for the empowerment of women in the region. She is one the founding member and president of Club des femmes administrateurs d ‘entreprises in Morocco (CFA Maroc), a non-profit organization that works to promote the participation of women on the boards of directors of public and private companies. Lastly, she is the co-founder and vice Chairperson of the AFEM.