“A decade after joining SICPA Morocco, Ali Naciri is today the Chief Executive Officer of this company, whose solutions help to combat smuggling, counterfeiting and tax under-declaration. Portrait of a dynamic and persuasive man.”
A flawless career
For Ali Naciri, it all began in Casablanca, the city where he grew up “in a family where education and human values were essential”, he tells us. A family of activists, with a father who was a teacher and a mother who was already fighting for gender equality. Surrounded by three older sisters, Ali grew up among books, dreaming of flying and discovering the world. He adds: “I also loved DIY, repairing or modifying the electrical installations in the house, building things with whatever was to hand.”
And this is perhaps where his academic path began. Indeed, after obtaining a science baccalaureate at the Lycée français in Casablanca, he flew to Toulouse before returning to Morocco with a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in applied mathematics in his pocket. In 1986, he began his first professional experience in the aeronautics sector. A successful experience, full of achievements. “I am proud to have contributed to the development of national projects, in particular the development of a Moroccan spraying solution to combat locusts. A successful installation, used on Moroccan aircraft thanks to the mobilisation of our teams to deliver it within quite short timeframes,” he recounts. Ali Naciri then had a long career in the textile sector, starting with Decathlon, followed by others within subsidiaries of multinationals or large textile groups.
And then… SICPA
It was in 2010 that Ali joined SICPA as Director of Operations. Launching the business, recruiting, training teams, maintaining SICPA solutions throughout the country… The mission was huge, but his motivation and conviction were even greater. And the results are there. “The upskilling of our employees, local expertise and the quality of our resources have been appreciated and recognised by our headquarters in Lausanne. Our teams are now regularly called upon to support new projects in West Africa or even in other regions of Africa, and on other continents,” he explains proudly. Today, Ali wants to continue “working to build skills through a technology transfer programme from Switzerland to the Moroccan teams in order to strengthen our company’s presence in Morocco”.
This father of two also finds inspiration in his family. He says he is “happy to have founded, with my wife, a family that appreciates the joy of every moment. Our two children have developed curious minds and show great adaptability.” And Ali would like the same to be true for everyone. “I would like to devote even more of my time to supporting and mentoring young people in some disadvantaged regions.” A man of conviction, we insist!
If you were…
If you were…
– A colour, which would you be? Blue
– A country, which would you be? Morocco
– A personality…? Nelson Mandela
– An animal…? The horse
– A connected object? Connected contact lenses, which I hope will soon become a reality.
– A superpower? Flying
– A film…? Forrest Gump
– A book…? “1984” by George Orwell
– A song…? “Alf Leila wa Leila” as covered by Ibrahim Maalouf
– A quality…? Dynamism, perseverance
– A flaw..? Impatience