Khadidja Benyahia, business manager from Rouen, aged only 23, runs FNB (Net Building Finishing) specializing in painting work and cleaning. She is one of the seven winners of the “Talents of the cities” competition, Wednesday November 27, 2024, at the Élysée. Emmanuel Macron, the President of the Republic, congratulated her.
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She arouses admiration. Originally from Elbeuf, Khadidja Benyahia is a business manager in Rouen (Seine-Maritime), aged 23, has managed FNB (Net Building Finishing) specializing in painting work and cleaning since March 2023.
His company has just been rewarded in high places. Wednesday November 27, 2024, at the Élysée, she was in the spotlight. She received the France Télévisions prize from Delphine Ernotte. And Emmanuel Macron. She is one of the seven winners of the “Talents of the cities” competition in the “creation” category.
Launched more than 20 years ago, the “Talents of cities” competition aims to promote entrepreneurial initiatives in neighborhoods. It is open to all entrepreneurs, at the project stage or already in activity, established or wishing to establish themselves in a Priority District of the City's policy.
Founder of her company launched in 2021, Khadidja Benyahia fights against prejudice and advocates professional diversity. Its ambition: to shake up mentalities and promote the employment of women. And offer new opportunities, in an environment where they are too often invisible.
Born in Oran, Algeria, she arrived in France at the age of eight. Coming from disadvantaged neighborhoods, she obtained her Baccalaureate. Then, she decides to stop her studies: “I first opened a cleaning micro-business. I noticed that the construction sector was dominated by men. That employers were not promoting women in the construction sector.”
She wears the veil, and does not hesitate to challenge prejudices. She founded, alone, her own company, in the construction sector, to respond to this lack: “It’s an important value in my eyes. I absolutely wanted to promote diversity, and therefore encourage the employment of women, who are not taken seriously in this very masculine and macho environment. A field which nevertheless interests more and more women.”
It first launched into three types of services: building painting, cleaning, and thermal insulation. His challenge: “fight against discrimination and show that women have as many skills as men in this area ».
Mission doubly accomplished: “The companies for which I work as a service provider are very satisfied with the women. Better yet: women are in high demand because their work is considered very careful and meticulous”.
Today Khadidja earns the minimum wage. It employs four employees, two permanent and two fixed-term contracts, two women and two men. “I use a little more, depending on the construction site,” she explains. Its ambition for the future: to develop other services such as carpentry or tiling.
Receiving this award is a source of great pride for her, particularly to be congratulated by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. “It is a source of pride to receive a prize at the Élysée in front of the president, it is the fruit of my work, of my values, and I hope to make other women want to get involved in construction, in entrepreneurship. I want to inspire in my own way.”
A sentence uttered by the Head of State during the award ceremony to Khadidja Benyahia did not go unnoticed and sparked controversy on social networks: “Frankly, for a young woman to go into the building, even more so veiled, we would have lots of problems on lots of channels, that’s all we would have talked about.”
But neither Emmanuel Macron's sentence nor the resulting comments shook Khadidja. “I expected it, we are in a society where we do not accept the veil, I knew it would happen at one time or another. It pains me but it doesn't matter, we talk from me”, she smiled.
However, she recognizes that being a woman on a construction site, “besides veiled, it’s not always easy”. “But I try to change things in my own way.”
For Khadidja, this prize is a healthy springboard for “develop your society, and increase the inclusion of new women. And also: create more than 10 permanent jobs, and internal training. And work directly for clients, no longer being a service provider.”
In her sights, ever more ambitious objectives: Khadidja wants to pass “from 280,000 to a million turnover, within a year. And within five years, I absolutely want to develop my business nationally”.
