Manal Bernoussi

For nearly two decades, I built my career across consulting, finance, leadership and international partnerships before stepping onto the global stage as a moderator.

As an engineer by training, a Columbia Business School MBA graduate and a former corporate executive, I spent almost twenty years working alongside CEOs, boards, ministers and international institutions on some of today's most pressing strategic challenges: from sustainable finance and innovation to economic development and international partnerships.

This experience fundamentally shapes the way I moderate conversations today.

I don't simply facilitate discussions, I understand the complexity behind them. I know the preparation that happens before leaders step onto a stage and the responsibility that comes with representing an institution or a country.

Today, I am the Founder and Managing Director of Leaders On Purpose, an international leadership platform dedicated to helping leaders communicate with clarity, authenticity and impact.

Through Leaders On Purpose, we moderate high-stakes conferences and executive conversations across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, accompany leaders preparing for defining moments through Leaders On Stage, and design executive development programs that help senior managers strengthen their presence, communication and influence.

I also host the award-winning Leaders On Purpose Podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with some of the world's most inspiring leaders and thinkers. Through these conversations, we explore leadership, purpose, transformation and the ideas shaping the future of business and society.

My ambition goes beyond moderating events.

I believe that the quality of our conversations shapes the quality of our leadership. My work is about creating the conditions for those conversations to happen, with depth, trust and purpose.

Prior to founding Leaders On Purpose, I served for more than a decade on the leadership team of Casablanca Finance City, where I was Director of Strategy, Partnerships & Communications and a member of the Executive Committee. I previously worked in cyber security and organizational consulting in Paris with Wavestone and Capgemini.

I hold an engineering degree from INSA Lyon and the National University of Singapore, as well as an Executive MBA from Columbia University and Africa Business School.

In 2021, I was elected to the Board of Directors of the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) and actively contributed to the United Nations FC4S Network.

Beyond my professional life, I am a mother of twins and remain deeply committed to supporting the next generation of leaders through mentorship and initiatives that advance women's leadership.