Innovation

Global-Lights pays close attention to Anglo-educated Moroccans, both those living abroad and those earning an Anglo-influenced business education domestically. These individuals often have distinctive skills and abilities that closely match the needs of multinational corporations. Yet such particular capacities do not show up easily on resumes, and few recruiters know how to identify these best and brightest.

Founder Deborah MacArthur thinks that the Moroccan market is still hiring based on a traditional, inefficient approach: huge files of resumes and few recruiters. “Frankly,” she explained, “in the files everybody looks the same.” So, Deborah teaches corporations and young professionals to notice each others’ value in new ways. “Here at Global-Lights, we realize that it’s not about the CV, it’s about you particularly. So, what’s innovative at Global-Lights is that we are teaching both sides, you (young professionals) and corporations, that it’s about your critical behaviors and your future contributions.”

Specifically, Global-Lights has created a niche market between multinational corporations and Anglo-educated Moroccan professionals wanting to live and work in a global corporate environment in Morocco. As a hub for relationships between the Middle East and the West, multinational corporations continue to locate here. And for the country’s “stars” wanting suitable international challenges, the opportunity to locate at home makes all the difference.

Inspiration

As a businesswoman, Deborah socializes and has built a network of friends including multinational leaders. Moreover, given the fact that she has experience as an executive faculty member with the Al Akhawayn University's Executive Education Center, she also interacts with many Anglo-educated Moroccans seeking careers in Morocco. Through socializing with these people, Deborah noticed a gap in the marketplace. On the one hand, she saw young, talented Anglo-educated Moroccans who wanted to have good careers in their country, but did not find the right jobs. On the other hand, on her Friday night dinners with multinational leaders, all they would talk about is not finding talent in Morocco. Deborah said “I was like: wait a minute, there are too many great, talented Moroccans who can’t find jobs, and all these people looking for them, and I can’t link them together? So as an entrepreneur, I filled the gap and linked these people together.” Moreover, Deborah is also passionate about the brain drain phenomenon and wants to contribute somehow to decreasing it. Inspired by these reasons, Deborah created Global-Lights.

Overall impact

Global-Lights focuses on a niche that is very important to Morocco, and thanks to the matching that Global-Lights creates, these talented professionals are now more motivated to stay in the country since they find the right careers. Deborah took the risk and decided to work with a narrow niche in Morocco; nevertheless, this niche has had a great positive impact on both the society and the business.

Business benefit

Multinationals give great feedback about the professionals Global-Lights places with them. Over time, Global-Lights has built a great image as a recruitment company. Youssef, a consultant working on Global-Lights, explained that “human resources managers usually give us great feedback about the newly placed professionals who immediately add value to the company.” Therefore, both Global-Lights and multinationals now benefit from these “stars” that have found the right careers thanks to the matching that Global-Lights creates.

Social and environmental benefit

Global-Lights contributes in helping the following:

• Anglo-educated professionals: When these Anglo-educated Moroccans come back home after spending a long time abroad, they feel that Morocco has changed and do not usually know how to integrate and find the right career that is suitable for them. They cannot find the career they are looking for because of the complications in the workplace when it comes to recruitment. Therefore, Global-Lights plays an important role here in helping them find the perfect match.
• Multinationals: Multinationals are now giving great feedback about the Anglo-educated professionals since these “stars” have distinctive skills and abilities that closely match the needs of multinational corporations. As a result, the multinational leaders now find talent in Morocco.
• Morocco: Morocco needs well-educated professionals to stay in the country and contribute in the development of the nation rather than going abroad and benefiting other countries. Therefore, through helping these Anglo-educated Moroccans find their careers and stay in Morocco, Global-Lights helps Morocco benefit from one of its most valuable assets: well-educated, talented professionals.

Interview

Deborah MacArthur; Youssef Jaber, Founder; Consultant