78 | theceomagazine.comas a lead regulatory specialist at the World Bank.
In 2006, he became the Chairman and CEO of the
OCP Group.
“OCP is entrusted with more than 50 per cent of
the world’s phosphate reserves. This created a unique
opportunity for us to transform the company from
a pure phosphate rock and intermediate product
exporter, to a diverse organisation with stronger
investments in downstream activities in the fertiliser
and finished product sector,” he says.
As if leading an international multibillion-dollar
resources company isn’t enough, Mostafa also works
tirelessly to promote entrepreneurship and human
development in Morocco and abroad. He is on the
Board of Directors of Mohammed VI Polytechnic
University, OCP Foundation, as well as JESA (a joint
venture between OCP and Jacobs Engineering) and
La Banque Centrale Populaire.Every one of OCP’s 23,000 employees shares
this mission as they help contribute to regional
development through mining and fertiliser operations
and the Group’s social and environmental
sustainability program. Spearheading the company
is Chairman and CEO Mostafa Terrab, a Moroccan-
born executive with more than 30 years’ experience
across the private and public sectors.THE JOURNEY
“It was my first day on the job and we were down
visiting one of OCP’s mines when a miner stopped
his work and turned to me saying, ‘I’m sure your
colleagues, the senior managers, have told you that
our main endowment and wealth is here in these
phosphate mines.’ I replied, ‘yes, I can see we’re very
lucky’. And he said, ‘Don’t listen to them. If you do,
you’re going to fail as a general manager. But, if you
understand that our true wealth lies in our human
capital, then you will succeed.’ And with that, he left,”
laughs Mostafa. “That was on my very first day and
it’s still the most important lesson I’ve ever learned.”
A graduate in engineering from École des Ponts
ParisTech, Mostafa went on to complete a Master’s in
Engineering and then a PhD in Operations Research
at MIT. Starting his career as a transport systems
analyst, Mostafa soon returned to his alma mater in
1986 to work as an assistant professor and researcher
in decision sciences and engineering systems.
“This teaching experience led me to various roles
in both public and private sectors, where I gained
a deep understanding of global business policies,”
he says.
Mostafa served as an adviser in the Royal Cabinet
between 1996 and 1999, and became Director
General of the National Telecommunications
Regulatory Agency in 1998, before four yearsSlurry pipeline at Jorf Lasfar, Morocco.
Chairman and CEO Mostafa Terrab.