“When you run for more than 15 hours, in 45°C heat, it strengthens your fighting spirit and gives you the will never to give up, even when you are at your lowest.”
A graduate of ISCAE Casablanca, Omar Berrada began with a first professional experience to acquire the first tools of the working world. He then went to Seoul, South Korea, to pursue an MBA in Management. On his return, he joined the Finance Com Group, now O Capital Group. “I was part of the core team that launched FinanceCom, at the very beginning of the 2000s. Chairman Othman Benjelloun had given us the mission of creating a holding company to structure all of the Group’s activities”, recounts the former Chief Investment Officer of that holding company.
A man of challenges
His career at FinanceCom awakened in him the passion he had always had for the land. “I have always felt very close to the land and, among the portfolio of activities I managed at FinanceCom, was the Adarouch Ranch, an estate of 11,000 hectares, with nearly 6,000 head of a Texan breed of cattle”, explains Omar Berrada who, with this new challenge, toured various ranches in the United States to try to understand how they worked before taking it on, with great satisfaction and pride. “I am particularly proud, through this project, to have set up the first private red meat abattoir in Morocco to add value to this top-quality meat and market it under a label”, he recounts.
After this highly enriching experience, Omar Berrada joined the Palmeraie Group to set up an agri-food division: “It was quite an adventure, because it was a challenge I took on from scratch, and in 5 years I was able to launch this division, which has never stopped growing”. Omar Berrada then continued his career at a Spanish multinational specialising in red fruits, African Red, before joining Eléphant Vert a few months ago.
The Eléphant Vert adventure
Joining Eléphant Vert is an obvious continuation for Omar Berrada. From a very young age, he was in contact with nature and later himself became a supplier and customer of Eléphant Vert in his previous positions. In this new adventure, he has found the opportunity to keep giving meaning to what he does. “I have always had this ecological streak, and this opportunity matched my values and the fight I am waging, on my very small scale, for agriculture in step with the preservation of the environment. My ultimate goal is to convince the small farmer, who is more sensitive to immediate yield, of the importance of sustainable agriculture”, he asserts. Since joining Eléphant Vert, Omar Berrada has been able to count on a sure asset: human capital mobilised and invested in the smooth running of the organisation. “Beyond the commercial aspects and positioning in a highly competitive market, with a diversification of our range of products adapted to Moroccan farmers, it is important for me to be in harmony with my teams; they are the main resource without which nothing can be done”, he stresses.
A sportsman at heart…
The father of two boys, Omar Berrada is also passionate about extreme sports. Time spent with his family, sport and music allow him to keep a certain balance in his intense daily life. Among other disciplines, he practises ultra-trail running; he has in fact taken part in and twice completed the Marathon des Sables (MDS), a 250-kilometre footrace in 6 stages. “It is an adventure that shapes you. I did my first MDS just before joining the Palmeraie Group, which gave me the strength and perseverance to set up that division. In fact, I also plan to do it next year”, says Omar Berrada. He adds that “it is certainly one of the experiences that has marked me the most. I do sport, but I was not predisposed to run this marathon, and when you run for more than 15 hours, in 45°C heat, it strengthens your fighting spirit and gives you the will never to give up, even when you are at your lowest”. As well as being a marathon runner, Omar Berrada holds a licence to fly small aircraft, skydives and rides trail motorbikes in the mountains.
…with his hand on his heart
These getaways to the most remote areas of Morocco have also allowed him to be as close as possible to rural populations. “It is something I need and, precisely today, with the Al Haouz earthquake we have experienced, we must continue to act, and over the long term”, stresses Omar Berrada. He explains that “ in the first hours after the earthquake, the Eléphant Vert Maroc teams mobilised through a collection of donations in kind and a financial contribution to an association. Personally, I plan to go into the field in the coming weeks to continue helping those in need”.
If you were…
– A colour, which one would you be? Blue
– A country, which one would you be? Morocco
– A personality…? Kilian Jornet, an ultra-trail runner, all-category world champion
– An animal…? The horse, for its elegance, its robustness and its intelligence
– A connected object? A watch, for its practicality
– A superpower? Stopping time
– A book…? “Run or Die” by Kilian Jornet