Rachid Benmokhtar Benabdellah is president of Al Akhawayn University, Morocco, a position to which he was appointed by Late King Hassan II in June 1998.

He graduated in aeronautical engineering from the Université de Toulouse, France and is an IMD alumnus. Benmokhtar started his career with IBM France in 1967. In 1973 he founded, with other engineers, the first Moroccan consulting company in computer science and management. In 1978, he founded with Parsons Brinckerhoff, the large US-based engineering company, a Moroccan subsidiary. In 1976, he became member of the team appointed by the Club of Rome to work on the project No Limits to Learning.

With his interest in education increasing, he became visiting professor at the Mohammedia School of Engineering, member of the School Council and then a member of the Mohamed V University Council.

He served as Moroccan Minister of Education from February 1995 to March 1998.

Benmokhtar is a member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Techniques, Chairman of the Scientific Committee in Charge of the Human Development of the 50th anniversary of Moroccan independence.

He is member of the committee of experts on Public Administration of the United Nations, President of the Moroccan Foundation for Nature and Mankind, and a member of the global Holcim Awards jury for 2006.

[last update 20-Feb-07]