Ryadh Billèle Kralfallah: moving forward by being yourself
From the streets of Belleville in Paris to musical jam nights at Montréal CoWork with his friend Joël, Ryadh Billèle Kralfallah, a software engineer for the French company Abbeal, rejects labels and firmly believes in the power of human connections. A portrait of a man for whom staying true to yourself is the key to success.
“Giving people the best version of myself,” Ryadh says. It is a lesson he learned from his father years ago. That is how this 33-year-old software engineer sums up his philosophy of life.
Saxophone in hand, a broad smile on his face, brown hair, laughing eyes and his signature moustache: everyone at Montréal CoWork knows Ryadh, at least in passing—especially at after-work get-togethers.
This lover of life enjoys connecting with others, but also bringing them together. Generous, wholehearted, principled and full of ideas, Ryadh reflects the journey he has taken. At 33, he has already come a long way.
Setting sail to see beyond France and leave behind a sometimes difficult social climate was something Ryadh had promised himself and dreamed of for a long time.
Growing up “on the streets” and dreaming of elsewhere
Born in Le Mans, he moved to the Ménilmontant neighbourhood of Paris around the age of 10. There were four children in the family. Their home soon became too small, and the family moved to Belleville, where he spent his entire adolescence. The atmosphere and the young people there were tougher than outside the capital. “In the schoolyard, things were friendlier in Le Mans, whereas in Paris the competition was fierce,” he explains.
Although it was “the streets,” as he puts it, it was also the place that shaped him, giving him the determination to make something of himself and see beyond the Parisian greyness. At school, some young people were steered early towards vocational diplomas rather than general academic streams. This social determinism, against a backdrop of pervasive racism, weighed on him. Always artistic by nature, with the sensitivity that comes with it, he developed a protective shell.
“My parents taught me that I had to do twice as much as everyone else,” he recalls. Ryadh persevered, began studying architecture, then quickly switched to computer science at a school well regarded in the field. His choice grew out of a passion for computers and the hours spent in front of them, but also a need to prove to himself that he could do it.
Travel: a passport to possibility
In 2009, Japan Expo sparked a change. A friend told him about an exhibition where the world of manga opened a window onto another culture, another part of the world. “We saw people dressed up in costumes, and my mindset completely changed. I wanted to be accepted by them,” he acknowledges.
The experience prompted his first trip to Tokyo—one of the best of his life—and left him wanting to return. He would go back three more times.
“Going there was a way to escape. Life isn’t just Paris,” he emphasizes. While manga became a cultural escape, it also brought a realization: he wanted to spread his wings even further elsewhere.
From 2016 to 2018, he worked for the Argus group, before being approached and recruited by Abbeal through LinkedIn. Everything fell into place: his Canadian adventure was beginning.
Montréal CoWork: an anchor
In 2019, he took the leap to Quebec with a colleague, heading for Montréal. They were Abbeal’s first employees there, and they found their first client remotely in the midst of the global pandemic. But Ryadh was resilient and did not lose heart.
Today, Abbeal is part of Montréal CoWork’s DNA. “It’s easier to begin an entrepreneurial career here, in a coworking space. It would have been different if we’d had our own premises, isolated from everyone,” Ryadh acknowledges. In short: “You need other people to move forward,” he adds.
With the pandemic hitting hard and the tech market becoming tougher, it was time to adapt and make compromises.
Today, in addition to its offices in France, Abbeal is established in Quebec and even Japan. Montréal CoWork is more than a coworking space. “Here, I met creative people. They’re like me in that respect, and it helped me open up,” he confides.
Friendship, music and intuition
That is particularly true of Joël (Nawej), a well-known figure at Montréal CoWork. Joël worked there for a long time. A musician, fashion designer, host and writer, this multifaceted artist quickly hit it off with “the moustachio,” Ryadh’s affectionate nickname. “I didn’t make music before I met him,” Ryadh says.
Their bond developed naturally over time, and there is no shortage of good memories. “Until 3 or 4 in the morning, I’d have my jam machine, someone else would have their laptop. We formed virtuous circles of creativity and fresh water,” Joël recalls.
Self-taught at heart, Ryadh plays the saxophone and piano. “It’s a way of saying things differently,” observes Émilie Lamothe, Ryadh’s friend and a collaborative energy generator at Montréal CoWork.
Today, Ryadh can look back on his journey with pride. The days when he was put through 14 interviews simply because he came from a disadvantaged neighbourhood are well behind him.
“It’s by being yourself that you meet incredible people,” he sums up. In short, Ryadh has turned his difference into an asset and every encounter into an opportunity to grow.
Article credit: Hélène Lequitte Photo credit: Jordan Jacquier