Interviews

Ouided Bouchamaoui is CEO of Hédi Bouchamaoui Group (HBG Holding), former President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts (UTICA), and Co-Founder of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a civil society organization whose leaders won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.

In her interview, Bouchamaoui explains that her childhood was unusual in the broader context of growing up in the Arab and Muslim world a few decades ago. In 1956, Habib Bourguiba (Prime Minister of Tunisia at the time and later President), implemented the Code of Personal Status, which was a series of progressive laws that specified equality between men and women in Tunisia. Her father saw no gender divide between her and her brothers, and she was encouraged to complete her education, develop a career, and was inspired by her father to become someone impactful. After completing her studies in the late 1980s, Bouchamaoui initially went to work in the Human Resources department of her family’s business. This was a civil engineering company started by her grandfather, which evolved into Hédi Bouchamaoui & Sons after her father took over the firm, specializing in oil and gas exploration and production. In 2012, the family business was reorganized, and renamed the Hédi Bouchamaoui Group (HBG Holding).

In 1990, Bouchamaoui became affiliated with the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts (UTICA), and between 2011 and 2018, she served as the president. In this interview, Bouchamaoui describes how she sought to create free and democratic elections within the organization, inviting youth and women to become members, and to build a social dialogue within the union. She also worked to encourage understanding between companies and organizations, and to reduce the number of strikes, negotiated increased wage rates, and worked on improving UTICA’s relationship with the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT). She encountered resistance to her leadership role because of her gender, and she discusses an instance where Ennahda, an Islamist political party, attempted to impeach her. Throughout the interview, Bouchamaoui describes the impactful role that UTICA has played in Tunisian society, and discusses how civil institutions have been able to persist throughout turbulent times in Tunisia. She suggests that it is important for civil organizations to focus on dialogue as a means of navigating political shifts and to create a collective initiative from across different groups within society.

During the interview, Bouchamaoui discusses Tunisia’s recent political history. She describes the day-to-day running of business under Ben Ali, the President of Tunisia between 1987 and his ousting in 2011 with the Jasmine Revolution (which served to ignite the Arab Spring throughout the region. Bouchamaoui explains that under Ben Ali’s regime, his allies and family took over many business sectors. Tunisian companies had to avoid activities that were reserved for Ben Ali’s family, while foreign investors avoided the country. She explains that even today, Tunisia’s economic situation continues to suffer due to the lack of political stability in the country.

Bouchamaoui discusses how the assassination of Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi in 2013 and the resulting political unrest and halting of the constitutional process led to her co-founding the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet. The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is a group of four civil society organizations: Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts (UTICA), Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), and Tunisian Order of Lawyers. As a whole, the Quartet were central mediators in the effort to consolidate democratic gains and to form a lasting constitutional settlement in Tunisia. In 2015, the leaders of the National Dialogue Quartet were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their contribution to building a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia. Bouchamaoui recounts receiving the prize and identifies the core challenges for Tunisia going forward: political stability, political reform, and creating trust in the youth.

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