Najwa El Iraki

rightNajwa El Iraki is a Moroccan British business-woman. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of AfricaDev Consulting Ltd. She is also the General Representative in North and West Africa of Lloyd's of London.

She is also the Managing Director for North and West Africa for Opportunity Network since 2017, a worldwide business-matchmaking platform.

Najwa El Iraki was named amongst the "60 Most Influential Women of Africa" by the New African Woman Magazine in 2016. In 2019, she was selected among the "Choiseul Africa", which regroups the top 200 African Leaders below 40, a ranking undertaken by Choiseul Africa & Forbes Africa.

In December 2020, Najwa was ranked in "Choiseul Africa" 100 African leaders for the second time. Her renewed ranking puts her in the top 10 Moroccan leaders, amongst which she is the first and only female entrepreneur.

Education Najwa El Iraki studied in France and in the United Kingdom. She holds a Master's degree in Business Management and Finance from Kedge Business School. She is also an alumna of the International Visitor Leadership Program, as she was selected to represent Morocco during the "Women & Entrepreneurship" English program organized by the US Department of State in 2019.

Career Najwa El Iraki began her early career in 2003 as an intern within KPMG Birmingham. She was then hired to work in KPMG London as a Consultant in Corporate Tax and Financial Structuring. In 2017, Opportunity Networks appoints Najwa as the Managing Director of their new branch in Morocco, meant to cover their development across North and West Africa.

In the same year, Najwa launched AfricaDev Consulting Ltd, a company and a partnership network to assist multinationals, SMEs and family businesses in the process of planning, investing, executing, operating and developing a successful venture of business expansion and growth to Africa. AfricaDev Consulting gathers an international network of experts and consultants in the fields of business development, investment advisory, fund-raising, corporate finance, M&A and financial restructuring.

Recognition & Awards Najwa El Iraki enters the list of the "60 Most Influential Women of Africa", by New African Woman Magazine, 2016. Najwa El Iraki is named "Financial Advisor North Africa of the Year 2016 - Consultancy Awards", by Corporate Vision Magazine UK. Najwa El Iraki is ranked amongst "Choiseul Africa", in the top 200 African leaders below 40 years old, by Choiseul Africa & Forbes Africa, 2019. Najwa El Iraki is ranked amongst "Choiseul Africa", in the top 200 African leaders below 40 years old, for the second time, by Choiseul Africa & Forbes Africa, 2020. AfricaDev Consulting Ltd. wins "Best Business Development Consultancy", by Global Brands Magazine, 2020.

Activities Since 2013, Najwa El Iraki was invited as a guest speaker in a number of major international conferences and panel discussions, either as Head of Business Development for Casablanca Finance City or as Founder and Managing Director of AfricaDev Consulting Ltd., among which:

"Morocco Unlocked: Strategy, Business and Regulatory Intelligence for New Investors", held by Financial Times, New York, 2013. "Morocco Trade & Investment Forum", held by CGEM, Dallas, 2014. The 18th Edition of the German-Arab Business Forum, Berlin, 2015. "Private Equity in Africa", held by EMPEA/Financial Times, London, 2015. Monte-Carlo Reinsurance RVs, Monaco, 2016. "Startup conference - Heroes meet in Maratea", Italy, 2019. "The New Africa Business Development Forum", MedaWeek, held by Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders, Barcelona, 2019. Young Job Network Forum, Ivory Coast, 2019 African Investment Conference (AFSIC), London, 2016 to 2021, of which she later became Ambassador for Francophone Africa in 2020. "The African Business Ecosystem and Advice for Entrepreneurs and Investors" for Business Africa Online. "Desafíos y Oportunidades para las Fusiones y Adquisiciones en la etapa Post Covid" for Marruecos Negocios.

Community Involvement Najwa El Iraki is a mentor for HEC Paris Executive Education since 2019. She is involved in a wide range of Moroccan and African business networks and associations. She is in particular the co-founder of CasaExpats in 2015, the first Elite network to connect English speaking expatriates with their Moroccan peers. As a business leader, Najwa aims to join forces with other women to address gender inequality particularly in developing and advocating women's leadership in the African private sector.