A Black Coffee with Afef

Early in the morning, when Afef Ftouhi enters the Fresenius Kabi plant in Bir Drassen, Tunisia, she has already gotten a lot done: After waking up, Afef enjoys a calm cup of black coffee and a sweet breakfast before waking up her children and taking care of her dogs. Upon stepping into the building, she kicks into gear for work: “I set up and then I go around the offices to say good morning to my team and ask about how everyone is doing. After another coffee, I open my laptop and off we go,” she says. 

“Before becoming Plant Manager, I was a Production Manager here, and I’ve kept the habit of walking the production floor. I like to be closer to what’s happening, and to my team.” Her team – that is over 400 people producing and administrating in the plant every day. “I like working together so closely, I like to train people and I like the challenge! I think that as Plant Manager, you have to be really agile. We improve and change all the time, and I thrive on these challenges. Launching new projects, working hard, and then celebrating the achievement, it’s the best part of my job.”

With a background as a mechanical engineer and having worked in the automotive industry before switching, Afef not only found new challenges at Fresenius Kabi, but also new meaning: “For me, our ‘caring for life’ mission doesn’t stop with producing devices that can help other people survive. Really it is the mission of all our lives. As a mom, as a daughter, and as a leader, I know what it means to care.”