Clarity Talks – An interview with… Dalal Fanchaouy, Business Analyst

My name is Dalal Fanchaouy and I joined Diligencia last October. I work as a business analyst in our Tangier office in Morocco and my role involves sourcing difficult to locate business information and creating corporate intelligence and due diligence reports for our clients. Day-to-day, I collaborate with my fellow business analysts in Tangier and liaise with the consultancy team in Oxford to ensure that we deliver high-quality, accurate and timely client reports.

What made you want to work at Diligencia? 
I worked as a compliance and risk analyst at my previous company, a role which involved significant business analysis—something I enjoyed because it combined my studies in journalism and law. I discovered Diligencia by chance and was surprised to learn it was founded by a fellow Moroccan national, Nouri Bakkali. The company's blend of British and Moroccan influences, along with its focus on business analysis, was a perfect fit for me. Knowing that Diligencia is expanding and operates in multiple locations across MEA with offices in Dubai, Oxford, and Tangier, further motivated me to join.

How have your journalism and law studies helped you in your role at Diligencia?
My journalism background helps in my investigative work, ensuring that I provide precise and concise information. Law education aids in structuring and delivering well-researched reports. Both fields emphasise thoroughness and accuracy, which are crucial in our due diligence tasks. Being trained in both areas allows me to approach my analysis methodically, ensuring that I extract and present information in the most effective way.

What are your main responsibilities? 
My responsibilities depend on client requests. We first identify our clients’ needs and then assign tasks to analysts in Tangier. I ensure the accuracy of the collected data, which forms the basis of my reports. Our reports include information on corporate records, which I compile, and corporate intelligence, where I dig deeper using open-source information. I may also check global compliance platforms for additional insights. For more in-depth due diligence, I collaborate with the consulting team to conduct source enquiries, gathering information from local people familiar with the target company or individual.

What do you enjoy most about what you do? 
I love the investigative aspect of my work, diving deep into companies' backgrounds, understanding their origins, key players, and any potential issues. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn, ensuring that my work is always interesting and never monotonous. The variety in my tasks, whether I'm looking into companies in different countries or tackling different industries, keeps me motivated and engaged.

What do you think makes our data so reliable? 
We meticulously gather data from authoritative company registries, extracting information vital for our proprietary entity database. This raw data undergoes a comprehensive curation process characterised by thorough scrutiny, aiming to rectify inconsistencies, standardise formats, and associate legal entities with pertinent corporate hierarchies and associated individuals within our database framework.

Our commitment to accuracy and reliability extends to establishing a traceable lineage for each piece of information. Through our system, every data point is seamlessly linked back to its primary source, ensuring transparency and accountability in our data management practices. This robust audit trail not only serves as a safeguard against errors but also empowers us to demonstrate precisely how entity data has been acquired, validated, and modified over time, instilling confidence in the integrity of our dataset.

What do you think clients like most about Diligencia’s online platform, ClarifiedBy.com? 
Clients benefit from the efficiency and comprehensiveness of our platform, ClarifiedBy.com. They can easily request and receive detailed reports from us, reducing the time they spend on their own data gathering. This streamlined process allows clients to focus on their core activities while we handle the complex due diligence. The platform's ability to quickly provide reliable data for Africa and the wider Middle East from only official sources sets us apart from other data providers.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
I love travelling, watching movies, reading, listening to music, hiking and yoga. Recently, I had an adventurous solo trip to Iran, which was an incredible experience and has helped me to step out of my comfort zone. Travelling allows me to explore new cultures and perspectives, which enrich my personal and professional life.