Nezha Alaoui is a
Moroccan-born entrepreneur and founder of the Mayshad brand. She is also the founder of the Mayshad Foundation, a non-profit organization for youth and women's development.
Early life and education
Alaoui was born in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
in 1982. She studied at the French High School in Rabat and continued studies in
Tangier at an American school. She later studied hospitality management in Spain where she did a six-month internship that led her to Rome,
Milan and London. She received a bachelor's degree in business in London and later studied photography in New York City.
Career
Alaoui began her career as a photographer, commissioned by the United Nations.
She won a contract with the
World Food Programme to report on UN humanitarian missions throughout the world.
In addition to publishing her best photos, she amassed a following on Instagram for her work.
Her photos were also displayed at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Vienna, and New York.
Alaoui is the founder of Mayshad, a luxury handbag brand that is known for its social responsibility. The name Mayshad is from the first syllables of her daughters' names.
She founded the company in 2011 and opened a boutique in Paris in 2014.
Alaoui has funded and supported programs for education and empowerment of women through the creation of the Mayshad Foundation. The foundation is US-based but operates in Africa. Its work is primarily in line with the
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
adopted by the United Nations in 2015, which focus on vulnerable women and youth. The foundation has set up co-ops throughout Africa where it assists with training women to become entrepreneurs.
Publications
* ''Maroc saharien, terre d'inspiration'' (2013)
* Emmanuel Dierckx de Casterlé ''Femmes du Maroc Saharien'' (2015) - illustrations
*
*In 2018, she wrote and published "Be a leader", a book on the 12 fundamental values of leadership.
References
Further reading
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External links
Mayshad Group websiteMayshad Foundation websiteJoin Mayshad
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People from Rabat
Moroccan photographers
Moroccan designers
Moroccan feminists
Moroccan women in business
1982 births
Living people
Moroccan women photographers
Moroccan expatriates in Spain