Fatma Rekik, portrait of a woman entrepreneur

Fatma Rekik is the chairwoman and chief executive officer of the company Stifen and the youngest executive in the Elloumi group. In the prime of her life, elegant and dynamic, she met with us and agreed to reveal the formula behind her success. She answered our questions openly and shared her journey. Portrait of a young leader — inspiring, generous and endearing.

A solid, deliberate academic path

It all began, in a way, when Fatma decided to pursue higher education at Paris-Dauphine University, following in the footsteps of her mother and her late grandfather (both members of an industrial family) instead of studying medicine as had initially been planned. For the young graduate who had grown up in a household where family gatherings doubled as lessons in managing people and companies, this decision seemed to follow naturally.

A training in service of a legacy

She went on to earn a DEUG in management, a master's degree in entrepreneurship and project management, then a postgraduate degree in general organisational policy. True to her family's principles, Fatma proved studious, serious and diligent. Unsurprisingly, she succeeded brilliantly — knowing the young woman, one would expect nothing less.

A first taste of experience abroad

She married young, and spent a year in Kiev doing business development for the family group — the Elloumi group, founded by her grandfather Taoufik Elloumi — before settling in Egypt for four and a half years. Fatma didn't sit still. She became the mother of two little girls while managing the cabling business and overseeing the launch of the agri-food division.

Return home and a growing role

After 11 years abroad, Fatma Rekik came back to Tunisia. She joined the agri-food division led by her mother, who was also handling the financial side of the cabling business. Her new mission was to take charge of "business development". Little by little, Fatma rose to head the "Sales and Marketing" department.

A passion for the field

When she tells us about her journey, her eyes light up and her warm smile quickly becomes contagious, to the point that we find ourselves swept up in enthusiasm for her projects. It's impossible to resist when she tells us: "I loved exploring this commercial side, especially since my background was originally in finance and corporate strategy. The commercial side means being in direct contact with customers, you can see the dynamics of the market… I loved it!"

A succession to be earned

Around that time, her mother resigned from the group to focus on her new responsibilities, and the question of succession came up. The young woman asked her mother, who had always been her guide and mentor, whether she saw her leading the agri-food division, and she tells us, with pride and emotion, the answer she received:

The groundwork it took to earn her place

Fatma followed her mother's advice and threw herself into it. She got more deeply involved: finding creative solutions, developing the market, prospecting new clients, optimising purchasing… she immersed herself in the company's operations at every level, to the point of grasping its dynamics as a whole.

Recognition well earned

Thanks to this perseverance and dedication, the results followed, particularly with the development of new products and the launch of new projects. Her peers eventually came to see her as the company's leading figure, an achievement Fatma is proud of:

Inherited values, an assertive vision

A clear ambition: perseverance and excellence

For Fatma, there is no secret. You simply have to be persistent. Once you set (ambitious) goals, you must not lose sight of them:

From agri-food to the international stage

Fatma wants to turn her company into a multinational: "For me, the challenge is this: we are Tunisians who innovate, and we are capable of creating high-end products."
The company is divided into three units:

• The agricultural division, growing strawberries and citrus fruit to European specifications. Fatma is studying a project to expand into organic farming.
• The freezing unit, created in the 2000s, which optimises processes. IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) products are exported to the USA.
• The third unit, dedicated to fruit preparations for industrial clients.

A brand born of a happy accident

But like all great stories, this one owes something to chance: the next stage in the company's evolution was born of a happy coincidence.
"We had the idea of offering end-of-year gifts, so we made jams and everyone loved them."
That's how La Fruitière was born, a jam brand later sold in every major supermarket. Fatma relies on eye-catching packaging, along with taste, price and quality, to build customer loyalty.

Furketta: celebrating Tunisian culinary tradition

Given the success of this winning bet, she decided to grow the business further with the launch of the new brand Furketta, specialising in fine savoury groceries and prepared foods: "all our products are natural, free of preservatives, free of chemical additives, and entirely vegan. I want to develop ready-made dishes, bottle them, and export our Tunisian culinary tradition." From salade méchouia to ommek hourya, by way of madfouna, chorba frik or mloukhia! Think of our students abroad, our expatriates, but also working women. All it would take is opening one of the Furketta jars to have a ready-made meal. Just as good as our mothers' cooking, all it takes is an appetite.

A promise for the future

"My goal is to reach, within 5 years, a point where Tunisians can get Tunisian products of very high quality, at an affordable price. All while keeping the taste on point! We want quality, natural products because I believe Tunisians deserve products that live up to all their expectations." Fatma Rekik thus offers us a promise that restores hope: it will be 100% Tunisian, and 1000% true to the Tunisian people.

Interview published in issue #45 of La Sultane

• (+216) 71 156 075
• info@stifen.com
• Stifen

Fatma Rekik at a glance