Syensqo CEO Ilham Kadri shares how her humble beginnings in Casablanca and a passion for science shaped her journey to the C-suite. She reflects on the tough choices behind a global career, why embracing discomfort fuels transformation and how she navigates leadership’s loneliest moments.
Raised in a humble home in Casablanca, Morocco, without running water or electricity, Ilham Kadri’s journey to becoming CEO of Syensqo is a story of strength.
“I was abandoned by my father. My mother left the country, so my grandmother raised me,” Kadri told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on the “Executive Decisions” podcast.
“She was told she had two exits in her life: the first to her husband’s home and the second to the grave,” Kadri explained.
Kadri credits her grandmother with instilling the belief that education could be her “third exit” — a way out of poverty and into possibility. That mindset propelled her from public schools in Morocco to a scholarship at a French university, and eventually to a Ph.D. in macromolecular physical chemistry.
“I never dreamed of being a CEO. For me, each step was already a victory,” Kadri said.
Her career spans global giants like Shell and Dow, and leadership roles at Diversey and Solvay, where she spearheaded a historic split of the 160-year-old company. After 11 years leading Solvay and then Syensqo, Kadri is ready for her next chapter.
“You need to have the courage to lead and transform, and you need to have the wisdom to leave when your successor is ready. That’s a great legacy as well,” she said.
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