“I want Sika Morocco to be recognised as a responsible corporate citizen, a leader in the segments in which it operates”
A proven competitor, in sport as in business, Marouane Zohry has always found the means needed to achieve his goals. After an engineering degree in Civil Engineering from the École Hassania des Travaux Publics, he decided to begin his professional career. A few years later, the ambitious young man considered enrolling in an MBA programme. An ambition that materialised in 2009 at the École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, where he obtained his MBA. From there began a fine and rich professional story within large groups, in Morocco and abroad.
A meteoric professional career…
It was in 2003 that Mr Zohry joined Sika Morocco. As a product engineer for industrial flooring, his first professional experience at Sika lasted two good years before he joined Lafarge Morocco as Technical Sales Manager of the subsidiary Lafarge Chaux. But Swiss groups were not the only ones to place their trust in him. The Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell also pinned its hopes on him. In 2007, Mr Zohry thus joined Shell Morocco as Key Account Manager for Lubricant Customers. After one year in the role, he returned to his first love by rejoining Sika Morocco as Technical Director. He held this position for 2 years, before becoming Sales and Technical Director until 2014. A pivotal year, during which the Group, more convinced than ever of his skills, posted him to Beirut as Managing Director of Sika Lebanon. Thus began for him a new professional adventure that he is not about to forget. “I was struck at once by the cultural richness of this region, the people I met but also and above all by the challenge that this job represented for me. It was my first experience as an expatriate.” An enriching experience which, on his return home, led him to take the helm of Sika Morocco in 2016 as Managing Director. A position he associates with that of “a coach, a leader or even a facilitator”, he adds with a touch of humour.
Family… his muse!
Personal life or professional life, Marouane delivers on both fronts. His activities at work do not prevent him from finding the time needed to lead his family life well. The youngest of seven siblings, married and father of two children, he has always taken care to maintain a work-family balance. “My greatest achievement is without any hesitation the birth of my two children”, he tells us in a tone full of pride. After work, his favourite pastime remains football matches with his son and his friends. It must be said that family is sacred to him. As proof, when asked about his mentor, his answer is always the same: “My father!”. And he adds: “Throughout my career, chance has put very charismatic and inspiring people on my path. However, my late father has been and will always remain my idol. For me he is a model of integrity, perseverance and seriousness. His precious advice still accompanies and guides me today.”
September 2017: meeting a philanthropist…
Speaking of his professional encounters, Marouane mainly remembers those marked by humanism, sharing and solidarity. “I was fortunate to meet Mr Hannes Schmid, Founding President of Smiling Gecko Cambodia, at the last edition of the Stars Symposium for the Leaders of the next Generation, held last year in Switzerland. I greatly appreciated this committed philanthropist because he came to the aid of families at a time when they were suffering from the consequences of several decades of civil war as well as the reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge (a radical communist political-military movement). Through his action, Mr Hannes showed that it was possible to use one’s leadership and network to serve noble causes.” Indeed, Mr Hannes is also one of the most renowned photographic artists in the world. He launched a philanthropic project that has given hundreds of Cambodian children and their families decent living conditions. This is what struck Marouane Zohry so much that he still mentions it among his most memorable professional encounters.
Making Sika Morocco a responsible corporate citizen!
“I want Sika Morocco to be recognised as a responsible corporate citizen while strengthening our Group’s leadership in all the segments in which it operates, by continuing to put the customer at the top of our priorities”. Indeed, thanks to Mr Zohry and his teams, Sika Morocco provides the construction markets and industry with the best technology in concrete and cement admixtures, waterproofing, bonding, soundproofing, strengthening and protection, at controlled costs. The Moroccan subsidiary has put in place all the necessary measures to ensure that the principles of sustainable development are applied and, in this way, to bring real added value to its customers and partners. “Morocco remains one of Switzerland’s main trading partners in the MENA region. The diverse nature of the sectors in which Swiss companies operate in Morocco and the strong potential these sectors represent motivate me to view the future of these relations very optimistically. And I am even more reassured by the social responsibility role played by all these Swiss companies within the Kingdom.”
If you were…
A colour, which would you be?
Majorelle blue.
A personality?
The man nicknamed the “Black Pearl”, Larbi Benbarek.
An animal…?
The lion, my star sign.
A dish…?
Seven-vegetable couscous.
A film…?
Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni.
A book… ?
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
A song…?
Gafnouhou by Mohamed AbdelWahab, a classic of Arabic music.