By taking “a less conventional path” for someone with a finance background, after graduating from AUI in 1999, Othmane Nadifi took the first step on the long journey that would eventually lead to his appointment as Managing Director of Mondelez Morocco in October 2020.

“Rather than following the logic of my academic background, I chose to move abroad to Saudi Arabia, diving into distribution and business development with Procter & Gamble,” he explains. This bold decision marked the beginning of his rise.

Twenty-five years later, Othmane Nadifi reflects on that unexpected choice: “Starting on the ground, in direct contact with distribution channels, is the best way to understand brands and get closer to the consumer,” he emphasizes.

His first exposure to this world actually came during his final semester at Al Akhawayn. Approached by P&G, his interest in this new career path was sparked—then nurtured—by “sound advice and a convincingly presented project. I’m thinking in particular of Moncef Belkhayat and Abdeljalil Likaimi, who I consider undisputed masters in the fields of distribution and business management more broadly.”

After that first challenge, he climbed the managerial ladder while also exploring different types of companies. His key stops? PepsiCo International, Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, Reckitt Benckiser, and VBM Pepsi, where he served as Chief Operating Officer for seven years.

Lessons from AUI and the evolution of distribution: a retrospective view

Looking back, Nadifi recalls a wealth of lessons he attributes to his time at AUI. He prefers to express them as maxims, such as “an idiot who takes risks has a better chance of succeeding than a genius who stays in their comfort zone,” “the past is history,” or “you must remain a lifelong student.” These are lessons learned at AUI through extracurricular activities—especially sports—as well as the diversity of the curriculum and collaborative projects.

He takes that same retrospective lens to the evolution of business development and the distribution sector over the past 25 years. “This sector has undergone deep, positive transformations. Rising demand and consumption, the emergence of large and mid-sized retail stores, stronger local production, and the rise of e-commerce are key factors—without forgetting neighborhood shops (‘moul lhanout’), a channel that remains very important,” he explains.

With major upcoming sporting events, the distribution sector in Morocco is preparing to enter a new era. For Othmane Nadifi, it’s yet another opportunity for a sector already in full transformation—and, as always, he approaches it with calm and confidence.