CBZ Bank divisional director declared Chartered Secretary of the Year

CBZ Bank business banking divisional director Molly Dingani has been declared the 2015 Chartered Secretary of the Year. The runner-up was Harare City Council acting finance director Tendai Kwenda.
 
Institute of Chartered Secretaries in Zimbabwe chief executive and secretary Farai Musamba made the announcement at the institute's annual conference banquet held at the Troutbeck Resort in Nyanga on Saturday (September 24) evening.

Dr Musamba read citations outlining some of the 2015 achievements of Mrs Dingani and Mr Kwenda.
        
In the Chartered Secretary of the Year citation, Dr Musamba said that, through Mrs Dingani's leadership, CBZ Bank had actively created significant key strategic alliances and partnerships with various stakeholders.

He said that, apart from heading the bank's business banking division's head office in Harare, Mrs Dingani had overseen the establishment of business centres in Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Chinhoyi and Bindura in order to reach out to all sectors. These business centres were in addition to the bank's wide branch network of 66 outlets.

Dr Musamba added that Mrs Dingani had also overseen a number of landmark achievements as evidenced by the various awards she has won.

Dr Musamba went on to say CBZ Banks's business banking division headed by Mrs Dingani is a new unit formed to focus specifically on the micro-business and SME sector, championing the financial inclusion strategy of the bank through innovative micro-business and SME financing models running under the theme 'Growing your business is our business'.

Mrs Dingani is an ICSAZ fellow. She holds a Master in Business Administration degree from the Nottingham Trent University and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Zimbabwe.

She has close to four decades of experience in the financial services sector rising from a clerk to her current position as director.

She is the Southern Region African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association Chairperson and also a trustee of Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe.

Mrs Dingani is also the parish council chairperson at Our Lady of the Wayside Roman Catholic church in Harare's Mount Pleasant suburb.

Mr Kwenda, the runner-up, is an associate member of ICSAZ. He joined the Harare City Council in 2002 and rose through the ranks to his current position. He has a wealth of knowledge in accounting, taxation, treasury and investments, financial systems design and general administration.

He holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Technology (Honours) Accounting degree from the University of Zimbabwe.

He is a registered public accountant, associate member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Zimbabwe and associate member of the Institute of Municipal Finance Officers (South Africa).

Among his achievements in 2015, Mr Kwenda reduced the Harare City Council backlog of audited financial statements by four years. He also updated the council's financial statements in readiness for audit for 2013 to 2014.

He drafted the council's finance department internal financial controls and standard operating procedures.

Mr Kwenda also spearheaded the implementation of the Information Communication Technology strategy for the finance department, automating most activities and reducing revenue leakages.