Othman Benjelloun

Company: Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur
Position: Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO)

Biography: Chairman and CEO of BMCE, Othman Benjelloun is the second-wealthiest businessman in Morocco. He studied at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Switzerland, before returning home to join his older brother Omar in diversifying the family business.

The move into finance came in 1988, with the acquisition of Royale Marocaine d’Assurances, of which his father had been one of 10 co-founders. The family bought BMCE when it was privatised in 1995.

Benjelloun established partnerships with international lenders, including Germany’s Commerzbank and Japan’s Nomura Group to extend the bank’s reach. He was also instrumental in BCME buying a 35 per cent stake in Bank of Africa, a leading player in west-central Africa. In 2007, the group set up MediCapital Bank in London (now BMCE Bank International).

Contact Tel: (+212) 522 438 283
Website: www.bmcebank.ma