Edmund T CHAWIRAH Resume
Executive Summary
(Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director)
I am a tactical leader and strategic thinker with expert business analytic skills to help related companies achieve stated goals, and harness team strengths for sustained growth in different ecosystems. Possessing tested skills in transforming organizations into best-in-class and preferred partners in their industry, my dominant strengths are laying goal-oriented strategies, policy formulation, governance, supply chain and financial management, project management, and applying research findings to engineer competitive positioning.
I acquired solid entrepreneurial prowess within the international, regional, multi-site, and extraterritorial profit and not-for-profit spheres while managing multicultural teams, and budgets of over US$ 100 m annual budgets. With over 20 years in Executive roles, my career spans across
•manufacturing, light and heavy engineering, steel making, chemicals, commodity trading, insurance, financial services, extractive industries, and waste and environmental services.
•managing diverse teams and skilled technocrats,
•organic and inorganic growth, organizational development, and stakeholder and partner relations.
•Benchmarking processes and organizations.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/echawira
EXPERIENCE
ETC Associates, Zimbabwe — Managing Partner
Jan 2012 - PRESENT
Through strategic interventions and advisory
Initiates enterprise growth and sustainability after business analysis.
Agitates for organizational transformation through policy rewrites, adoption of governance systems, and broadening of business scope and focus.
Creating strategic alliance partners to ensure quality project management of the business activities of ETC associates by tactful resource mobilization and application company-wide.
Manages the finances and operations of ETC Associates
Activates competitive organizational responses by PESTEL scanning and motivating appropriate responses
Spearheads strategic asset investments reviews, acquisitions, and divestments and arranges optimum funding.
Drives capacity building by change management practices that embrace innovation and creativity, customer centricity, sound financial practices, use of benchmarked performance measuring, and highlights scope digitization.
Leads the application of structured organizational risk profiling and risk reduction measures and establishes continuity and strategic partnerships.
Implements organizational impact management practices tailored to SDG 2030 goals attainment
TAP Zambia, Zambia — Chief Executive Officer
Jan 2000 – Sep 2011
Superintended over TAP Zambia’s 6-month turnaround.
Restored revenue growth, broadened revenue streams, and improved balance sheet position and financial performance.
Inculcated sound corporate governance, asset management, and accounting practices.
Renewed enterprise innovative capacity and entrepreneurial drive and resilience by setting new aligned organizational policies.
Cultivated superior customer responsiveness through ERP introduction, and introduced all-around performance targets.
Increased organizational effectiveness through synchronized planning, budgeting, production and inventory, and cash management processes, portfolio diversification, and investment trajectory through M&A
Stimulated higher productivity, and accountability through introducing a new range of employee motivation and retention practices and stimulated high productivity, and accountability.
Transformed organizational responsiveness and skills development for staff and Board Members complemented by robust organizational communications practices and interface with all stakeholders.
Grew a new portfolio of strategic businesses and project pipeline and incorporated stringent risk profiling and mitigation measures through smart partnerships
Introduced new employee wellness and safety programs and support for the infirm such as HIV patients.
Set up robust performance metrics and monitoring enterprise-wide and embraced best practices
•Repositioned TAP into a multi-business enterprise in less than 12 months with earnings growth of 40 % and a diverse revenue base. The business grew its foothold into waste management, real estate management, trading, and financial services from a manufacturing base.
• Increased supply chain effectiveness through automation/ERP with cost to revenue ratios plummeting by 30 % and customer turnaround reduced by 30 %
•Slashed attributable costs by 15% supply chain and service strategy revamp
•Outsourced noncore operations and leveraged external partnerships to increase market offering and product range.
HASTT INDUSTRIES, Norton— Managing Director
Jan 1999 - Dec 1999
Revamped strategic business thrust to focus on 4 SBUs instead of 1 and opened up scope for new product lines
Overhauled supply chain strategies and partnerships and reduced inventory levels and WIP.
Developed new product costing approaches and pricing strategies and increased product and service competitiveness and volume-driven profitability
Revamped business systems and process flows and increased asset utilization, yields, and efficiencies
Introduced conducive work environment and worker morale programs resulting in higher productivity and creativity through continuous management/worker interaction and adoption of strong community relations.
Spiked gross margins up by 25% through creating new product offerings, vertical integration, and adoption of an ERP management system.
TURNAL Holdings. Southerton-Divisional Managing Director
Sep 1995-Dec 1998
Revamped business processes, adopted equipment sharing and multi-tasking, and increased division profitability, interdepartmental coordination and superior aftermarket service, project pricing price management, and market responses by adopting automation/ERP.
Spearheaded new brand building and management strategies and created a healthy and constant flow of new orders and projects, product designs e.g. Prefabs and a Contracts Construction Division.
Revised customer service and retention methods resulting in increased revenue and better P&L management.
Superintended over new business and export development (internal/external) and total supply chain management strategies realizing substantial export contribution and growth
•Increased gross revenues by 40% through the Introduction of franchise distribution structures and introduced aftermarket services nationally and in export markets
•Strategically branded all company brands and products leading to market leadership nationally and regionally
•Increased productivity and yields through interventions on downtime and start-up time, preventive maintenance, condition monitoring in production and engineering sections, and panned handover systems.
Other
ZIMTRADE Zimbabwe – Senior Manager Investment and Trade
Feb 1992-Aug 1995
Transformed mentorship and capacity development methodology to build resilient cluster value chains, competitiveness, and competencies by reviews of product designs, market research, quality, logistics and customs interventions, and supply of updated market information for global destinations.
Increased export market penetration by local producers through the implementation of market-driven products for market adaptation strategies.
Drove the surge in high impact promotional activity outcomes for SMEs and fiscal targets through new market penetration initiatives for SMEs, trade shows, and other promotional tools
•Inaugurated, increased uptake, accountability, and impact of managed donor-funded grants and Export Development Assistance and built a robust SME exporter base
•Increased the uptake and use of Trade Information through improved dissemination practices leading to export growth.
•Championed the adoption of compliant stakeholder reporting practices & meeting of requirements on trade protocols, trade measures, and legislation.
•Streamlined the use of internationally recognized benchmarks on export performance and best practices to support continuous export growth and Foreign Direct Investment on a National Basis.
•Created strategic partnerships for knowledge exchange and capacity building with other TPOs and cohorts
EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE CORP Zimbabwe - Senior Manager Business Development and Commercial
Sep 1989-Jan 1992
Rejuvenated marketing thrust for trade facilitation and trade credit instruments and increased services uptake, effectiveness, and new product development
EDUCATION
The University of Wales Cardiff, Wales UK — MBA
May 2010 - May 2012
Masters in Business Administration with Majors in Investment and Finance
Kellogg School of Business, Illinois USA — Postgraduate diploma
Jul 2007 - Jul 2007
Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership
Harvard Business School, Boston MA. USA – Post Graduate Diploma
May 2005-May 2005
Post Graduate Diploma in Organizational Development
University of Zimbabwe – Bachelor of Science Honours
Jan 1981-Dec 1983
Bachelor of Science Honours in Economics and Finance
PROJECTS
Kitwe Water Reticulation Project Zambia— $ 17 million
World Bank-funded – Lead partner in conjunction with Zambia Government with multiple partners
Sugar Corporation of Malawi Irrigation Project - $ 6.5 million
UNDP funded. Supply and implement
Forestry Commission Sawmill Project Zimbabwe- $ 11 million
KWF Bank Funded project – lead partner
Other
Factory Expansion Project HASTT Industries Disc Manufacturing Plant - $ 5 million
Arranged and Structured syndicated financing
SKILLS
Organizational design & strategic leadership
Policy formulation
Data interpretation, business and process analytics
Team management
Financial management
Project management
Environmental management and sustainability
Research
Value chain development
Trade and investment promotion and access systems
Communication
Stakeholder and partner relations
Risk mitigation
Supply chain management & digitization
Benchmarking
AWARDS and NOTABLE MILESTONES
Appointed Honorary Global Climate Change Foundation Country Representative for Zimbabwe
Steered TAP Zambia into winning accolades for the most productive organization for 3 years in a row
Accredited with a distinction in Investment Management in my MASTER’s program
Voted in as Chairperson of the Lady of the Wayside Church Finance Committee with a mission to ensure an independently financed Parish
Conceived and operationalized the Innovation Hub for a national University of Technology with responsibilities of converting ideas to actions
Designed and implemented export value chain and supply chain development strategy and building blocks for trade and exports growth at RWANDA DEVELOPMENT BOARD as well as set up RDB trade information center
Set up turnkey mining operations for a UAE Company in SSA and export-ready within 6 months.
Applied leveraged economies of scale and slashed procurement and logistics costs and optimized competitiveness for client businesses in Africa using digitization.
LANGUAGES
English (Fluent), French (Intermediate/Class Taught), Nyanja, Shona, Swahili (Intermediate)