Our Team

Executive Director

Dr Oliver Mtasa

Education and Profession

• Bachelor of Accountancy Honours (UZ)
• Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe) (30 Years)
• Master of Business Administration (UZ)
• Doctor of Business Administration (Switzerland)
• Registered Assessor (ICAZ)
• Estate Administrator (CEA)
• Insolvency Practitioner (IPAZ)
• Public Auditor (PAAB)

Agric Experience

• Farmer since 1995. Now owns and has farming operations in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East. Mgargwi farm (tobacco, horticulture, 80 tons chickens for Irvines)
• Headed all Lonrho farming businesses. Financial Controller for TZI agricultural enterprises including Agrifora-flowers (Zambia), Zambezi Ranching Company (Zambia), Zambeef (Zambia)
• Art Corporation Plantations (Mutare Board & Paper Mills). SMM Holdings Agric divisions: FSI Agricomm, Steelnet Agric Implements

Equity Investments and Insurance Experience

• Investing surplus funds, raising, and deploying capital as Group Accountant and Group Treasurer at Lonrho
• Headed Investments and meet IPEC requirements at Zimnat as CFO and later CEO. Board member of Zimnat Wealth Management.
• Member of the Investment Committee, got involved in alternative investments as Chairman of First Mutual Life
• Involved in the expansion of Insurance Business at Zimnat/TA Holdings leading acquisition of Botswana Insurance Company, Lion Assurance Company in Uganda, Zimnat Wealth, Generation Health and Grand Reinsurance

Governance

• As a high stickler for good corporate governance, have and still sits a on the boards of, besides the ones mentioned above, TAP (Zambia). CFI General Beltings, Zimnat Life, FSI Agricomm, Art Corporation, First Mutual Reinsurance, Tristar Insurance, Tarnell, SMM Holdings,
• The Topic for the thesis for the DBA focused on corporate governance with special focus on one of the financial sectors of Banking
• Has set on board committees of audit, human resources, governance, and investment of various boards including Zimnat, First Mutual Life, SMM Holdings

Independent Non-Executive Director

Zondi Kumwenda

Education and Profession

• Bachelor of technology in Accountancy: University of Zimbabwe (1992)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Accountancy: University of Zimbabwe 1995)
• Chartered Accountant Institute of Chartered Accountancy (Zimbabwe) 1997 (CAZ)
• Business Administration: Manchester Business School (2004)
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA) Managerial Diploma 2010
• Leadership Certificate (UCT) Graduate School of Business 2008
• Corporate Finance Certificate (ICAZ) 2021
• Zondi trained with Coopers & Lybrand (EY) and his last employment in the profession before joining Industry and commerce was Audit Manager of KPMG (Chartered Accountants Zimbabwe)

Agric Experience

• He has a deep understanding of the Zimbabwe Agriculture industrial landscape spanning over 20 years.
• Led the largest exporter of traditional agricultural equipment in Southern Africa. The group won the Zimtrade exporter of the year twice during his tenure.
• He had a stint with a large manufacturer of edible oils, and stock feeds as part of the agricultural value chain experience.
• In recognition of his agricultural expertise, he was engaged as part of the Expert Group for UNIDO (FAO) Agricultural Mechanization in Africa 2008, (https://www.unido.org/…/agricultural_mechanization_in_Africa.pd)
• He was also part of the East and central Africa strategy experts on Agriculture mechanization.

Equity Investments and Insurance Experience

• As CFO he was involved in the merger between Zimplow and Bulawayo Steel Products in 1997,
• Was instrumental in the acquisition of CT Bolts in 2006
• Was instrumental in the acquisition and subsequent integration of Tassburg
• Led the acquisition of Tractive Power Holdings by Zimplow in 2011, to form the largest Agricultural, mining, and earthmoving equipment supplier in Zimbabwe. This more than doubled the balance sheet of Zimplow,
• Took the Group through financial, operational, and cultural integration.
• Led the corporate and stepped acquisition of Barzem by Barloworld (RSA)
• During his Tenure Zimplow won the best performing company on the Stock Exchange 3 times
• He was Chairman of the TPH group Pension fund and Zimplow Holdings Pension fund. Presided over the merger of the two pension funds
• Involved as Managing Director of a local Asset Management business

Governance

• He is the current board Chairman of RADAR Holdings Limited,
• Member of IODZ
• He sits on several boards for local Private companies
• He is the past Group CEO of Zimplow Holdings Limited
• He is past President of the Engineering Iron and Steel Association in Zimbabwe (developed the Steel Strategy for Zimbabwe Steel Industry)
• He has served on the main Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Zimbabwe (ICAZ) up to July 2016.
• He is a winner of the following awards:
• 2011 National Manager of the Year from Zimbabwe Institute of Management
• 2011 ZNCC Southern Region Manager of the year
• 2011 Southern Region manager of the year Zimbabwe Institute of Management

Global Exposure

• Throughout his career, he has had occasions to travel to various regional and international destinations to meet export customers, suppliers, principals like Barloworld UK, AGCO in the UK, and USA’s Caterpillar.
• This has enabled him to acquire a global context of issues affecting businesses in Africa and beyond.

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

Patrick Devenish

Education and Profession

• Master of Business Administration at University of Cape Town (2001)

Agric Experience

• Tobacco Auctioneer at Tobacco Sales Floor and Auction Holdings Malawi. Marketing and management of the sales for Tobacco Sales Floor Limited Harare
• As Chief Executive Officer of Seed Co Ltd Seed Co, a vertically integrated crop seed company specializing in hybrid maize and other row crops. Guided the company through the land reform program in Zimbabwe, growing the business into the rest of Africa. Seed Co is now one of the top 5 companies on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and the largest seed company in Africa.
• Led, Cottco (100%) a cotton ginning company, Seed Co (51%) a vertically integrated crop seed company, and Olivine Industries (49%) a FMCG company focused on cooking oils, margarines, bakers’ fats, soaps, and canned foods as Chief Executive Officer AICO Africa Ltd. Unbundled AICO in early 2013 and had the job done by February 2014, the subsidiaries are now stand-alone entities
• Joined Plexus Cotton Limited as a consultant to assist in developing their African activities which include cotton growing and ginning, property assets to be developed and a vertically integrated cotton business going from raw cotton to garments

Equity Investments and Insurance Experience

• Equity Investments and Insurance Experience through the three public listed companies he has run in Zimbabwe

Governance

Pat Devenish is a seasoned executive; he has run three public listed companies in Zimbabwe and has risen to leadership roles in every organisation he has been involved in. He is currently active as Chairman of First Capital Bank and the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board as well as running his solar energy business and managing his property portfolio. His key interests are strategy and corporate governance and helping young people get ahead in life.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Shorai Rutendo Chidemo

Education and Profession

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) – Rhodes University
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies (BA) – Rhodes University

Agric Experience

• Rutendo has experience in the Agro-Industry working for one of the largest Agro conglomerates in Zimbabwe, CFI Holdings Limited.
• She was intricately involved in many start up projects to empower young farmers in Zimbabwe through an alliance with the Federation of Young Farmers Clubs Zimbabwe.

Governance

• She is a Non- Executive Director of FBC Microplan Financial Services,
• She currently holds the position of Legal Officer at CFI Holdings reporting to the Board of Directors on all legal and compliance issues.
• She also has practice experience having worked at Honey Blanckenberg in the corporate law department offering compliance advisory work to corporate stock exchange clients.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Shephard Mahowa

Education and Profession

• PHD in Business Management (In Progress) – University of Pretoria
• Masters in International Business – Monash University
• Master of Business Administration – University of Cape Town (2001)
• Chartered Accountant – South Africa Institute of Chartered Accountants
• Chartered Accountant – Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
• Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Accountancy – University of Zimbabwe
• Bachelor of Accountancy Honours Degree – University of Zimbabwe

Agric Experience

• Current: Executive director in South Africa based group that supplies and installs agriculture dam lining, mulch, fodder wrap and green house films to the farmers in SADC.
• 2019: Lead advisor on a business and debt restructuring for a listed agriculture processing business listed on the ZSE with operations in Zimbabwe and a SADC member state.
• 2017: Provided investment banking services including valuation and transaction structuring to one of the leading certified companies in Zambia that grows and market a number of seed varieties.
• 2016: Provided investment banking advice to a Luxembourg based agriculture private equity house that owns multi-use farms and agriculture produce processing plants in Tanzania.

Equity Investments and Insurance Experience

• Current: Part of a team of group executives that successfully restructured a group of companies in South Africa and is leading the group treasury planning, structuring and execution for the repayment of a loan resulting from a leveraged buy-out transaction.
• 2017: Led a successful capital raising and acquisition transaction for 100% of the shares of then JSE listed group of companies with interests in manufacturing and distribution of industrial and mining supplies in South Africa and the region.
• 2017: Lead advisor on a business and debt restructuring for a listed construction related manufacturing business listed on the ZSE.
• 2015-2017: Provided independent investment banking services including performing valuations and issuing fair & reasonableness opinions for listed and unlisted companies in Botswana that were involved in mergers & acquisitions transactions. The clients are in the energy, mining, hospitality, sugar packaging, property, telecommunications, funeral services and beverage sectors.
• 2015-2017: Provided independent investment banking services including performing transaction structuring advice, LuSE listing advice, valuations and issuing fair & reasonableness opinions for listed and unlisted companies in Zambia that were involved in mergers & acquisitions transactions. The clients are in the mining, beverage, financial services and milling sectors.

Governance

• Group commercial director of Winhold (Pty) Ltd based in South Africa since 2017.
• Past group managing director of Gundle Plastics Group (Pty) Ltd which is a subsidiary of Winhold (Pty) Ltd.
• Past finance director and chief financial officer for a number of listed and unlisted companies in Zimbabwe and South Africa including Zimnat Lion Insurance Limited and CFI Holdings Limited in Zimbabwe.

Independent Non-executive Director

Bianca Mukumbira

Education and Profession

• Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
• Member of Public Accountants and Auditors Board
• Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe), (qualified March 2019)
• Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Accounting-1st Class (completed 2015) with Midlands State University (Gweru, Zimbabwe).
• Bianca trained with Grant Thornton and her last employment in the profession before Joining Industry and commerce as was Audit Manager for Crowe Chartered Accountants

Agric Experience

• She has vast auditing experience of the Agricultural sector emanating from having audited several NGO projects sponsored and facilitated by FAO
• Bianca has deep understanding of agriculture based companies systems control arising from documenting policies, procedures and controls for the related companies.
• She has indepth knowledge of reporting for agriculture related companies having been seconded to role of preparing financial reports as well as tax implications reports for companies in the Agricultural sector.
• Evaluated budgets and strategies and budgets for a number of agriculture-based companies in Zimbabwe.
• Performed forensic investigations for and on state assisted agriculture projects

Equity Investments and Insurance Experience

• Audited several ZSE listed companies in Zimbabwe,
• She has also audited various asset management companies in Zimbabwe.
• Was part of the team that performed Transaction advisory services on mergers and acquisitions consultancy services done by Grant Thornton Zimbabwe.

Governance

• Bianca has good appreciation of committees having attended a lot of Audit Committee meetings as an external Auditor.
• Currently as Group Finance Manager she attends and participates in the following Boards for Original Technology Holdings Group: Main Board, Audit and Finance Committee; Human Resources Committee, Technical Committee; and Risk Management Committee
• Bianca has deep understood of board operations and effectiveness as she has participated in various board evaluation exercises
• She currently compiles reports for the attention of the board.
• She is part of the team that spearheads strategy implementation and is the leader for budgeting and budgetary control.

Global Experience

• Responsible for leading business transactions (Mergers and acquisitions) with related companies in South Africa,
• She is currently Finance Manager for a company registered in Mauritius,
• Headed the Grant Thornton component auditor team that audited most regional companies audited by other auditors across the globe.