Moncef Lakouas
Originally from Morocco, Moncef Lakouas arrived in New Brunswick fifteen years ago. His journey is a success story that demonstrates that the Canadian dream is possible in our community.
An international student at the Université de Moncton, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He was also the first immigrant to chair the Moncton University Campus Federation (FEECUM).
Moncef is passionate about community development, entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for youth and newcomers. That is why, during his university cycle, he decided to help young New Brunswickers find employment in their area of study in the region, and to support emerging entrepreneurs who wanted to start a business. He founded the Student Leadership Movement, an association launched in partnership with the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce.
He defines his journey of integration and adaptation as a mission to pay it forward and to reach out to others, making sure that sharing his own experience, his mistakes and his successes can serve as a guide for newcomers and young people of the community.
He chaired CAFI where he worked on the transition of the organization, ensuring stability after the departure of a long-time CEO. In the same vein, he became involved with MAGMA during the crisis in Syria to help settle and integrate Syrian refugees who chose our region to start a new life.
In 2014, he served on the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Economic Council as a Youth Representative. He advocated for entrepreneurial initiatives for Francophone youth. His many commitments to the well-being and growth of civil society have earned Moncef Lakouas numerous recognitions. He was a member of the first Francophone Youth Parliament of the Americas, was selected among hundreds of candidates as Emerging Leader 2013 among the Top 50 leaders in Atlantic Canada, and in the Top 21 New Brunswick Leaders in New Brunswick in 2014.
During this community leadership program, he presented a project to grant immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections. Moncef championed this issue across the province by highlighting the positive impact it would have on the retention and inclusion of immigrants in our communities.
Moncef Lakouas is also the recipient of several merit scholarships for his community involvement, including the Assumption Life Leadership Scholarship, the City of Dieppe Leadership Excellence Scholarship, the Clément-Cormier Scholarship, the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship, and the Paul-Harris distinction of Rotary Resurgo. His civic involvement earned him the “Everyday Political Citizen” by Samara Canada, a pan-Canadian organization that advocates democracy and the revitalization of politics by citizens. In 2018, Moncef was elected President of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council and most recently became the new Executive Director of the Moncton Youth Renewal.