Tell us about yourself, your background and your journey to your current role as CEO at Officium Management.
My journey began in consulting, where I developed a passion for understanding business challenges and devising impactful strategies. This early foundation led me to Procter & Gamble, where I spent several years refining my expertise in brand management, working across markets in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. My experience there taught me how to lead strategic initiatives in diverse regions and tackle complex market dynamics. From P&G, I transitioned to Centrale Laitière, where I led marketing and business development efforts, significantly contributing to the company’s growth and market valuation, paving the way for its acquisition by Danone. I then discovered the fascinating world of retail with the Marjane Group, before diving into entrepreneurship, a journey that has now spanned over ten years.
Driven by a continuous thirst for learning, I pursued various executive programs at prestigious institutions like HEC Paris, alongside specialized certifications in coaching and management. This journey culminated in earning my Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA) with a focus on Holistic Branding, an academic pursuit that deepened my understanding of how to build and sustain brands in a multidimensional way. My academic path has not only shaped my professional journey but has also fueled my passion for teaching and mentoring.
In addition to my professional roles, I am deeply committed to fostering growth and development within my industry. I served as the Chairman of the CIAUMED, the Joint Industry Committee responsible for TV audience measurement in Morocco, and I actively engage with numerous associations in the fields of marketing, media, advertising, digital transformation, startups, and innovation. My involvement spans key initiatives like La French Tech Maroc, the African Digital Summit, the Gen J Foundation, and more. I also serve as a board member for various companies and work as an executive coach, helping organizations and individuals unlock their full potential.
All these experiences and passions led me to co-found Officium in 2014. Today, at Officium, we focus on delivering holistic branding and strategic consultancy, helping businesses navigate change, drive growth, and achieve sustainable impact.
What has been your experience in marketing and branding, and could you share some insights into the companies you’ve worked with, both in Morocco and internationally?
My experience in marketing and branding has been both diverse and enriching. Over the years, I have had the privilege to work with some of the world’s leading companies across different regions. My journey began with Procter & Gamble, where I was entrusted with managing prominent brands like Tide, Fairy… This role required me to understand diverse consumer behaviors and market dynamics, which in turn shaped my approach towards building what I refer to as *Holistic Branding*. During my time there, I learned the importance of connecting a brand’s identity to its market realities and strategically positioning it to achieve leadership.
After P&G, I took on the challenge of leading marketing efforts at Centrale Laitière, Morocco’s largest dairy company. This was a significant opportunity where I was responsible for the strategic transformation of the portfolio of brands. Our efforts resulted in a substantial increase in market share and business value, which played a crucial role in Danone’s acquisition of the company. Working at Centrale Laitière provided me with a deeper understanding of how integrated strategies drive both brand equity and business growth.
Following this, I transitioned into the retail sector with the Marjane Group. This was a fascinating shift, as it exposed me to the intricacies of retail marketing and the importance of aligning operational execution with strategic objectives. It was also my first step into entrepreneurship, a journey that culminated in co-founding Officium.
Throughout my career, I have remained committed to evolving my approach to marketing and branding. I believe that brands are much more than just logos and slogans; they are ecosystems that encompass commercial, corporate, and employer dimensions. At Officium, we leverage this philosophy to offer end-to-end solutions that are not only strategic but also culturally and locally relevant. This multidimensional perspective has enabled us to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, helping businesses achieve sustainable growth and consistency across all touchpoints.
What has been your biggest career success?
One of my most significant achievements was leading the turnaround of the Tide brand in Morocco during my time at Procter & Gamble. When I took on the role of Brand Manager, Tide was facing intense competition and had lost significant market share to Unilever’s Omo. By focusing on consumer insights, we revamped our brand strategy and launched a series of targeted initiatives. We improved product quality to address key pain points and rolled out campaigns that resonated both with urban and rural audiences. This strategic shift not only helped us regain market leadership but also turned Tide into a case study at P&G’s General Manager College in Cincinnati, which is a training program for senior executives and future GMs. This achievement earned me the CEEMEA Brand Building Award and the North-West Africa Business and Branding Sustainability Award, marking a high point in my career.
Another milestone was my role at Centrale Laitière, where I led efforts to reposition the brand and boost its market presence. By focusing on strategic marketing and business development, we managed to grow the company’s revenue from around $500 million USD to over $700 million USD (approximately 1.8 to 2.6 billion AED), paving the way for Danone’s acquisition. This experience taught me the importance of aligning brand strategies with business goals to drive growth and market value.
Today, these experiences serve as the foundation for my work at Officium, where we strive to create impactful strategies that drive tangible results for our clients.
What does Officium Marketing Management do?
At Officium, we often describe ourselves as Brand Doctors. Just like a doctor diagnoses, treats, and nurtures their patients, we diagnose and nurture brands to keep them healthy, aligned, and performing at their best. We act as embedded marketing teams, combining strategic advisory with operational execution to deliver comprehensive, 360° marketing services. This approach allows us to deeply understand our clients’ businesses and tailor solutions that meet their specific needs.
As a boutique consultancy, we specialize in holistic branding, offering end-to-end services that cover everything from upstream strategy design—like market segmentation, brand positioning, and consumer insights—to execution phases such as social listening, content creation, and lead generation. We ensure a seamless transition from strategy to execution, maintaining a consistent and value-driven approach across all brand touchpoints.
Our value proposition revolves around being a value-minded consultancy. We are not just focused on creating strategies, but on generating measurable results. By leveraging our integrated approach, we align our efforts with our clients’ broader business objectives, delivering solutions that drive growth, enhance brand equity, and create lasting impact.
How do you help businesses?
At Officium, we are dedicated to helping businesses not only define their brand strategy but also bring it to life with measurable and scalable solutions. We achieve this by acting as an embedded marketing partner—immersing ourselves in our clients’ operations to provide strategic insights and practical execution that drive real results.
One of our key differentiators is our value-minded consultancy. We work to align our solutions with our clients’ growth goals and brand DNA, ensuring that every decision we make is both strategically sound and operationally executable. From high-level strategy and brand positioning to on-the-ground implementation, we provide comprehensive, 360° marketing support.
We also leverage advanced tools and strategic partnerships to deliver high-performance solutions. For instance, our partnership with Archipel Group led to the development of Achgal Insights, a proprietary AI-powered social listening and analytics platform. This technology allows us to provide our clients with a real-time understanding of their brand’s performance, customer sentiments, and emerging market trends. With Achgal, decision-makers gain clarity on their share of voice and are equipped to make informed, proactive decisions in a fast-paced digital landscape.
In short, Officium doesn’t just offer advice; we roll up our sleeves to ensure seamless execution. We bridge the gap between vision and reality, helping businesses navigate market complexities, adapt to change, and achieve sustainable growth.
Do you have a successful case study that you can share?
Absolutely! In addition to the laundry business turnaround that I led at Procter & Gamble, where we successfully repositioned Tide and reclaimed market leadership, we have numerous success stories at Officium that demonstrate our team’s extensive expertise. Many of these cases are drawn not only from my experiences but also from the rich backgrounds of our team members. For example, Imad Mouhib, one of our Managing Directors, previously managed Motorola’s marketing in North & West Africa during the iconic StarTAC and V3 Razr era and played a pivotal role in introducing Pepsi to East Africa and reintroducing it in Morocco with the slim can, which went on to overtake Coca-Cola, the market leader.
Within Officium, we have supported clients in various industries to achieve significant brand transformations. For instance, we worked with a leading FMCG company to reposition their brand by optimizing their product portfolio and executing a comprehensive brand activation strategy. This resulted in increased market penetration and a strengthened brand presence.
In the automotive sector, we recently collaborated with a client to completely revamp their brand positioning locally. This project involved redesigning the entire customer experience—from showroom layout to digital presence and every customer touchpoint. The result was not just a refreshed brand identity but a more engaging and cohesive customer journey.
Another impactful case involved an industrial client who needed to shift from a brand culture rooted in technical expertise to a more customer-centric approach. We helped them redefine their brand narrative, launch a new market offering, and restructure their commercial and marketing organization.
This transformation enabled the company to engage more effectively with their customers and embrace a culture of innovation. These stories reflect our holistic approach to branding and our ability to deliver tailored, high-impact solutions across diverse industries.
You are primarily based in Morocco and have recently expanded to Dubai, why did you choose Dubai as your next location for expansion?
Expanding to Dubai was a strategic decision rooted in our vision to establish Officium as a regional leader in holistic branding and strategic consultancy. Dubai serves as a dynamic business hub in the Middle East, with strong connectivity to key markets such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Gulf countries. The city’s openness to innovation and growth makes it an ideal base for scaling our operations and building stronger relationships in the region.
Our presence in Dubai allows us to better address the unique market dynamics of the Middle East, where there is a growing demand for integrated brand strategies and value-driven solutions. To support this ambition, we are actively building a robust network of partners in technology, content creation, and digital transformation, which enhances our ability to deliver impactful and innovative solutions to our clients.
We believe that being on the ground in Dubai not only strengthens our regional footprint but also enables us to stay closer to our clients, anticipate market trends, and continue to offer tailored strategies that drive measurable growth.
What are the current trends you see in the industry in Dubai?
The Dubai market is evolving rapidly, with a clear shift towards digital transformation and data-driven strategies. Businesses are increasingly focused on creating seamless, customer-centric experiences that bridge the gap between digital and offline interactions. According to industry rankings, key priorities for marketers in the region include personalization, real-time customer insights, and leveraging AI to enhance decision-making processes.
At Officium, our partnership with the Advertising Business Group (ABG) gives us a deep understanding of these trends and the evolving needs of marketers in the region. We are currently conducting an in-depth study to gain further insights into consumer expectations, allowing us to stay ahead of the curve and tailor our solutions effectively. Our work with ABG has also shown us that AI is no longer just an option but an integral part of shaping future strategies.
Through our Social Listening & Insights Solution (SLIS), we empower businesses with real-time analytics and social listening capabilities, powered by AI. This allows our clients to understand their share of voice, track customer sentiment, and proactively respond to market shifts with data-backed decisions.
In summary, the current landscape in Dubai is all about agility, data-driven decision-making, and creating personalized, connected brand experiences.
The world is fast paced and constantly changing, how can organizations embrace innovation?
To embrace innovation, organizations need to foster a culture of agility and continuous improvement. It’s about creating flexible frameworks that allow for testing new ideas, learning quickly, and adapting strategies in real time. At Officium, we help businesses set up structured systems to drive innovation, leveraging data insights to anticipate changes and aligning internal processes with clear, actionable roadmaps.
Successful innovation also requires empowering teams with the right tools and a collaborative mindset. This way, companies can stay close to market trends, pivot when needed, and create real value for their customers.
What are your top tips for branding and ensuring consistency and alignment across all brand touchpoints in your business?
The key to effective branding is a deep understanding of your market and audience. It starts with clearly defining your brand’s essence—what you stand for and what you promise to deliver. Once that’s established, every action and communication should reinforce this core identity.
At Officium, we emphasize a holistic branding approach, which looks at branding from three dimensions: commercial, employer, and corporate. This ensures that all brand touchpoints, from internal culture to external messaging, are aligned and consistent. We believe that consistency isn’t just about repeating messages, but about staying true to the brand’s DNA in every interaction.
Another crucial aspect is staying connected to your market through continuous social listening and customer feedback. By understanding evolving customer needs, brands can remain relevant and adapt while maintaining their core identity.
What are your goals for the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, I aim to position Officium as a leading consulting firm in holistic branding across the MENA region. Our focus is on expanding into new markets, enhancing our digital and AI capabilities, and continuing to innovate our service offerings. Personally, I’m committed to fostering the next generation of leaders by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives and mentoring young talent in the region.
How can readers find out more about yourself and Officium?
Connect with us on LinkedIn or follow us on social media. I also regularly share insights and updates through industry conferences and events. Feel free to reach out to our offices in Dubai or Casablanca if you’re interested in collaborating or discussing new opportunities.