Journalist, TV host, producer, photographer, lecturer\u2026 Leila Ghandi has done it all. At ease in any country and in any profession, the Mon\u00e9gasque-Moroccan is an example of drive and leadership.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leila Ghandi is in her 40s, she speaks five languages and has a million Instagram followers<\/a>. When we meet her in Monaco\u2019s Condamine neighbourhood she\u2019s wearing a simple marini\u00e8re <\/em>and no make-up. It\u2019s nearly ten, but her day started long before. \u201cI\u2019ve just come back from the beach in Cap d\u2019Ail. I try to go there every morning. The water temperature is just about bearable,\u201d she jokes. Ghandi, who has a degree from Sciences Po in political marketing, likes to keep a schedule. \u201cI go to bed at 2 am and get up at half 6 to take my kids to school,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leila Ghandi\u2019s career picked up in 2005. \u201cIt all started when I began travelling the world. In Morocco, I was that na\u00efve girl backpacking on her own,\u201d she says. In her native country, Ghandi, who speaks French, Arabic, English, and Spanish and also happens to have a good grasp of Chinese, was always a little controversial. \u201cSome people said I was crazy, other called me a role model,\u201d she explains unfussed. Her travels gather the media\u2019s attention, first through her Youtube channel, and then through a documentary series on Morocco\u2019s 2M channel, \u201cTravelling with Leila Ghandi\u201d. For Ghandi, it was always a question of discovering new cultures. \u201cTravelling was about sharing people\u2019s experiences. It was about sparking debates on sexual harassment in Egypt or Islamism in France, or even gender equality in Norway,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout her career, Ghandi has won numerous prizes. Most importantly, in 2014, she was awarded France\u2019s highest cultural recognition, the title of Chevalier de l\u2019Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. \u201cAwards are encouraging, but for me the greatest reward is when people write to me saying how I\u2019ve impacted their life,\u201d she says. Her latest career milestone? Joining the L\u2019Or\u00e9al family. When the brand contacted her, she was incredulous. \u201cYou want me? Are you sure? I\u2019m five foot three,\u201d she apparently told them. Along with eight women from the Arab world, Ghandi will advocate for women’s emancipation, for solidarity, and for fighting against injustices, all while wearing impeccable make-up.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy husband is Mon\u00e9gasque. We\u2019ve studied and worked abroad. We\u2019ve traveled the world. But once we had children, we decided to settle down in Monaco,\u201d says Ghandi, who has a six-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy. \u201cMonaco has the advantages of a village \u2013 it\u2019s a friendly place and getting around is easy – while also having the cultural offer<\/a> of an international city. And there\u2019s the weather of course,\u201d she says, holding back a smile. Following her nomination at Monaco\u2019s 2019 Influencer Awards<\/a> in the \u201cPhilanthropy\u201d category, Ghandi has set herself a new challenge. She founded Monaco Impact<\/a>, a network of Monaco entrepreneurs<\/a> to mentor the younger generation – \u201cRole models who can be a source of inspiration and change,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst Moroccan woman to solo travel around the world <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s muse really is worth it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Monaco: a cosmopolitan\u2019s headquarters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n