Mohamed Ridouani (43) is Mayor in the city of Leuven. He stands for positive change and his mission is to turn Leuven into one of the most caring, green and prosperous cities in Europe through collaborative and inclusive innovation.
Ridouani beliefs in the joint effort of citizens, knowledge institutions, companies and organisations. He’s the inspirer of Leuven 2030, in which more than 500 companies, organizations and citizens work together to transform Leuven into a sustainable and CO2-neutral city. He also initiated Leuven MindGate, an economic platform with 400 members that boosts Leuven as the world’s hotspot for health, technology and creativity.
In 2020 Leuven has been named European Capital of Innovation by the European Commission for this groundbreaking governance model based on innovation and inclusion.
Ridouani graduated with a master’s in Economics and completed a postgraduate in International Relations. Before he became an active member of the city council of Leuven, Ridouani worked as a business consultant at Deloitte. Between 2007 and 2018 he held various positions as deputy mayor for Education, for Sustainability, for Economy and for Urban Development. In January 2019 Ridouani was elected as Mayor of Leuven.