Khoja entrepreneur and philanthropist Hassanein Hiridjee has been nominated for the African Inspirational Business Leadership Award 2020 from African Leadership Magazine.
Chief Executive Officer of the Axian Group in Madagascar, Mr Hiridjee is not only a successful economic operator and business expert, he is willing to invest in African SMEs to promote African-born talent and develop the African private sector.
Forbes Africa has described him as “a businessman who counts.”
Exceptional leadership
Every year the African Leadership Magazine awards programme recognises leaders who inspire the business community through exceptional leadership and advocacy for daring and disruptive projects.
In particular, the African Inspirational Business Leadership Award recognises and celebrates inspirational business leadership at a time of change. The recipient is one who has displayed characteristics of energising and creating a clear sense of purpose for others during a period of disruption.
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Market leader
Mr Hiridjee, a Franco-Malagasy entrepreneur, has been running Axian Group since 1997. The Group was founded by his family, whose forefathers settled in Madagascar 150 years ago.
Today Axian is a market leader in four economic sectors: energy (EDM and Jovenna), telecoms (Telma, the leading telecommunication company), financial services (BNI Madagascar and MVola) and real estate (First Immo).
Inclusive development
Mr Hiridjee is also an architect of inclusive development in Madagascar, the Indian Ocean and on the African continent. He is committed to investing in the long term and in vital infrastructure and services benefiting local communities.
An example is how Telma invested $250 million over three years from 2017 to 2019 to improve the network infrastructure on Madagascar. He made the announcement during a presentation in Paris and used the new funds to deploy 11,000 km of fibre cables.
A graduate of the prestigious French business school, the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP), Mr Hiridjee held several posts in the financial sector before returning to Madagascar 20 years ago.
Top 10 African leader
Before he turned 40 he had established himself as one of the island’s economic heavyweights, running his business affairs with prudence and discretion.
He was named one of the Top 10 young African leaders in the Choiseul 100 Africa, an annual index of entrepreneurs under the age of 40 marked out by their dynamism. Those chosen for the list are destined to play an important role in the development of Africa, according to the French Choiseul Institute. “They represent the renewal of a whole continent and carry the hopes of a whole generation,” the citation said.
Mr Hiridjee, who is known for his kindness and generosity as well as his business acumen, was fifth in the list.
Promoting social progress
One of Axian’s mantras is: “We believe in maximising the value of the asset and that everyone should benefit from the great projects that we do.” This drive for the widest benefit also underlies Mr Hiridjee’s social and philanthropic work.
He devotes a great deal of energy and resources to promoting social progress and improvement of living conditions in Madagascar and its region, in particular thanks to the Telma Foundation, which has led remarkable initiatives in the education.
The Foundation has built more than 100 schools in Madagascar. The Hiridjee family has supported Khoja students through the Hiridjee Loan Scheme and has plans to construct a university. It has helped the Madagascar government refurbish hospitals and is supporting the creation of new clinics to provide much-needed primary and secondary care.
Mr Hiridjee would be a worthy winner of the African Inspirational Business Leadership Award from African Leadership Magazine, and his success would shine another spotlight on the stellar achievements of the Khoja community.
How to vote
Show your support and vote until Monday 10 August by clicking here