Born in Brussels to Moroccan parents, Taoufik Amzile climbed the ranks of entrepreneurship in his country of birth, becoming a prominent figure of diversity in the increasingly open circle of entrepreneurs. As a consultant and coach to various Belgian and Moroccan professionals, his contribution to building an inclusive environment in the business world has taken on a new dimension through the Lead Belgium organization, which he co-founded in 2007. Focused on entrepreneurship, sustainable development, alternative financing, diversity, education, and mentoring, Taoufik Amzile is a consultant and board member of several organizations. His constant desire to build bridges in the business world now leads him to contribute to his two countries: Morocco and Belgium. As part of the Digital Moroccan Belgian Entrepreneurship Lab (Dimobel60) project, carried out in collaboration with universities from both sides, the entrepreneur is a «future partner and friend of the organizers». «It's an initiative that I have been supporting for some time now. I participated in activities in Brussels and for the closing, this week at ESCA in Casablanca,» he told Yabiladi. For Taoufik Amzile, it is «a very important initiative, marking a momentum in Belgian-Moroccan relations on the economic and entrepreneurial level.» «We discussed Dimobel 1 and are really looking forward to starting Dimobel 2, with the possibility of developing projects that will bring Belgian-Moroccan entrepreneurs closer to the country, thanks to a series of projects and initiatives that can help them either expand themselves or support other projects in Morocco,» the consultant stated enthusiastically. With a particular passion for transmission, Taoufik Amzile has been contributing to sharing experiences and best practices for several years. «I am fortunate to benefit from a rich and diverse ecosystem of Belgian-Moroccan entrepreneurs in Belgium, particularly in Brussels. I want to pay tribute to them because if I am here today, it is because of all the work done upstream, with male and female entrepreneurs, for economic development, representativeness, and inspiring exemplarity,» he explains. «These are values that have driven me for years. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, you might as well be one for whom it makes sense. In our Lead Belgium structure, which brings together entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, our goal is not simply to create value, sell products and services. It's also about being useful to society.» Taoufik Amzile As part of this dynamic, the entrepreneur brings «the very strong ties of heart, spirituality and family» that he has with his two countries. «As a result, even our approach as entrepreneurs must serve Morocco. We make it a point of honor to say that when we are entrepreneurs in Belgium, what could be the dimension with which we could participate in the development of Morocco and its roadmap?», he explains. Opening Belgian entrepreneurship to diversity Suffice to say that Taoufik Amzile is driven by entrepreneurial values with a social impact, forged primarily over the course of his professional and personal journey. Graduating in Political science and International relations from the Free University of Brussels (1995), he evolved in the banking sector, particularly in operational risk management, investment activities, and project management. About ten years ago, Taoufik Amzile decided to leave «a comfortable situation as a senior executive in a large company» and launched Ascentis Consulting, «for consulting, analysis and change management for companies, the public sector and civil society institutions.» He also supports organizations on the dimensions of digital, agility and sustainability (ESG). This new step allows him to be consistent with the ideas he promotes through the professional association LEAD Belgium, created with some friends, to promote entrepreneurship among diverse audiences. «By developing the network around us, our circle expanded with entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, but not only, to avoid being narrow,» he recalls. «We started opening doors that were often very difficult to open, even double-locked. Our network welcomed other entrepreneurial communities that exist in Belgium, developing activities with stakeholders from Catholic, Jewish, sub-Saharan African or Eastern European backgrounds, etc.» he explains. Beyond creating market and financial value, the idea is to question collaborative work between professionals, with a dimension of corporate social responsibility, particularly «to support young people who want to get started in the field, by developing mentoring approaches.» For Taoufik Amzile, «entrepreneurial success must be transformed into societal success for the good of all.» «This is the type of entrepreneur we welcome with great willingness and benevolence within Lead Belgium,» he emphasizes. Today, Taoufik Amzile is also a director in the Brussels employers' association, the Chamber of Commerce and the Brussels Enterprise Union. He carries the voice of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. His role is to «shed light on the issues faced by Muslim communities or Moroccan communities more specifically, whether in terms of entrepreneurship, access to financing, but sometimes in terms of employment.» «There are systemic and destructuring discriminations regarding access to the labor market. We must work to move the lines and lead a fight, in the noblest sense of the term, for those who want to be entrepreneurs,» he affirms to Yabiladi. Capitalizing on inter-generational work between entrepreneurs Between the lines, these professional endeavors converge towards a narrative that counters «stereotypes of gender, certainly, but also of ethnicity, religion, with all that they entail in terms of maintaining a negative perception of diversity or immigration». In this sense, Taoufik Amzile reminds us that when invited to speak, he starts by saying that his presence «is an anomaly.» «If I were to follow the deterministic scheme for a young person from a given migratory path, I would not fit into entrepreneurship in Belgium. Our presence, as entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, and the fact that we are numerically significant, is the best response we can provide to all these stereotypes that consider that we are here to take advantage of a system and then break it. We are quite contributory to the system and we must from time to time remind it by our exemplarity, by our work, even if it means having to make sometimes twice as much effort for the same result.» Taoufik Amzile «We know why we do it. Because if our parents opened a small door and put their foot on the other side, we must push forward on our side, for the next generations to come,» insists Taoufik Amzile, describing the spirit of transmission that prevails in his approach as a dual-citizenship entrepreneur. «We do not want future entrepreneurs from the same background to encounter the same difficulties as our parents or ourselves. We want them to be able to benefit from our experience, our networks. The whole Belgian society benefits from it because when we create value, we create value for Belgian society. When we are on economic missions abroad, we talk about the Belgian product. And when we come to Morocco, we promote bridges between Belgium and Morocco, according to its specific needs,» he tells us. The goal, according to the entrepreneur, is for dual-national business leaders to be «facilitators to ensure that the two shores of the continent, Europe and Africa, and more particularly Belgium and Morocco, can work hand in hand on their common issues, which are two sides of the same coin.»
