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Humble, ambitious and passionate about his professional career, Mostafa Aboulfaraj is a Moroccan engineer who left Morocco for Europe to lead a successful journey. Born and raised in Meknes, he moved to Rabat as a first step to study at the university, two years later he packed for Rennes, France. «I went there for a Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Rennes», he told Yabiladi. From northwestern France, Mostafa moved to the northeast of the country to pursue his studies, this time he chose polymer engineering.
«In Strasbourg, I became an engineer in 1986 and three years later I did a PhD, collaborating with a company called Essilor, which produces ophthalmic lenses along with ophthalmic optical equipment», recalled Mostafa.
In fact, the Moroccan national moved from France to New York, starting a new adventure outside Europe. «I left France to join Cornell University in the USA, where I studied mechanical and aerospace engineering for one year», said Mostafa switching from French to English.
Travelling through Europe, Asia and America
His journey in the big apple did not last too long as he returned to France, where he received a job offer. «I worked as a lecturer at the École des Mines de Nantes between 1990 and 1994», said Mostafa adding : «I was there also as a researcher and I did several researches». This was only the start for the young engineer who quickly got a job at Pechiney, a major aluminum conglomerate based in France.
«I worked for them as a researcher at their laboratory», he stated recalling one of the projects he developed while with for the French firm. «We developed widgets that make English beers foam. We were mainly focused on cans… I stayed with the company for four years and had the chance to occupy different positions», said Mostafa.
In 2003, he decided to leave Pechiney, which does not exist anymore. Mostafa, in fact, found another job opportunity and was hired by the Capital Safety Group, an Anglo-American public safety firm. There, he was in charge, for four years, of the operations in the France plant and had the chance to travel all over Europe, Asia and America.
«While holding such position, I had to travel a lot spending time between France, the US, Canada, China, Taiwan and the UK», he told Yabiladi insisting that it was the hardest period of his career, especially that he stayed away from his family. Always with the same company, Mostafa was promoted and succeeded in occupying different positions, working on packaging, food cans and cans in general.
From Nordic countries to Central Europe
Three years later, Mostafa felt like he had to do something new, in 2003 he joined a different company. Changing completely his status, he started working for Outokumpu, a group of companies headquartered in Helsink and which manufactures stainless steel.
«I worked there for three years as vice president process and resources, and I was heading a group of sales and marketing which targeted the food industry», he clarified, adding : «It was a very heavy industry, nothing very funny. We were really making some good products that are resistant against rust».
Located in Brussels, Outokumpu asked Mostafa to move to Poland and the Czech Republic to help reconstruct the company’s plants there. «I moved from Belgium and the Nordic countries to central Europe, I was heading sales but my real job was to help the company through a hard situation», explained Mostafa Aboulfaraj.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan engineer created his own consulting company in France, «Outokumpu was, in fact my first client». For family reasons, he decided to head back to France where he left his wife and three daughters. «I am a father, so I thought that it was time to go back home», stated the 54-year-old man.
Recycling
Once in France again, he carried on working as a consultant, working on recycling, finding solutions to recycle aluminum packaging and looking for solutions for companies in the industry.
«I have been working on this for almost five years», he told Yabiladi stating that he is also «serving as a managing director for France Aluminium Recyclage, a company created 25 years ago». Mostafa is in charge now of developing the recycling industry and boosting the APR system in the European country.
«We have been doing a really good job because we have been able to increase the recycling rate by ten percent every year in the last ten years. So I am working with all the stakeholders, municipalities, influencers to help companies that produce packaging in the market to be responsible, collecting their waste or recycling it».
Mostafa Aboulfaraj and after working all over Europe hopes that one day he would be able to help promote the recycling industry in Morocco. «In Morocco, people are doing some recycling when it comes to packaging, but they are collecting it in a messy way. It is sad because we hear everyday people talking about reducing waste but nothing is going that way», he argued. The only thing working well in Morocco is collecting and recycling paper, according to the consultant, suggesting that more work should be done to help organize this industry back home.
Although Mostafa spent much of his time working and travelling from one country to the other, Morocco was always there, in his heart alongside some members of his family that he insisted on visiting every now and then. During all these years «my family in France stayed close and I have always gone to see them», concluded the engineer.
