Dr Merisa Kambani declared Chartered Secretary of the Year

Medical Investments Limited managing director Merissa Kambani has been declared the 2013 Chartered Secretary of the Year. The runner-up was Zimbabwe School of Mines principal Dzingarai Tusai.
 
ICSAZ secretary and chief executive Farai Musamba made the announcement at the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe annual conference banquet held at the Montclair Resort and Casino in Juliasdale on Saturday (September 27) evening.

He read citations outlining some of the recent achievements of Dr Kambani and Mr Tusai .

Dr Kambani's citation pointed out that 2013 was a momentous period for her as she set personal and organisational milestones. She was voted one of the most influential women in business in Zimbabwe.

She was second runner-up in the Megafest Business Awards Business Woman of the Year category. Alpha Media Holdings Book of Zimbabwean Women awarded her a Certificate of Recognition in the business category for 2013.

Dr Kambani also received the Career and Leadership Legacy Builder Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Healthcare Sector from the LASOF Leadership Institute.

In recognition of her work as a Rotarian, Dr Kambani was named a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

The accomplishments, the citation said, are testimony of her diligence and hard work for Medical Investments Limited and her church, Revival International Ministries, among other organisations. 

Dr Kambani oversaw the massive re-equipping and refurbishment of health institutions under Medical Investments Limited, which include the Avenues Clinic in Harare. This was done to stay abreast of new trends in the medical industry internationally.

A new MRI Unit was installed at the Avenues Clinic that was officially opened in May 2013. The clinic also retained its Standards Association of Zimbabwe ISO 9001:2008 certification after meeting the requirements of a recertification audit.

The Avenues Clinic posted results that showed a healthy balance sheet for the year 2013. In recognition of these efforts, the clinic attained several awards, including the 2013 NAQA Service Award, the 2013 CCZA Service Excellence Award in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, and the 2013 SADC Quality Services Award in the large enterprise category.

In 2012 she was awarded the ZNCC Business Woman of the Year Award.

Dr Kambani holds a Master of Business Administration degree, Chartered Secretary qualification as well as several other qualifications in accounting and information communication technology. She has attended several courses on leadership, strategic planning, motivation and management.

This year Dr Kambani was also conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by the Philanthropy Institute in Zimbabwe. She was also inducted in the Women's Heritage Society.

She is the current chairman of the Private Hospitals Association of Zimbabwe. She has  been a Rotarian for six years and is a past-president and board member of the Rotary Club of Harare West.

As a member of the compassionate ministry in her church, she has made various donations to schools and old people's homes. She is involved in the empowerment and development of 22 households in Chikomba District.

Mr Tusai, the runner-up for the 2013 Chartered Secretary of the Year Award, has for the past three years received awards that recognised his visionary leadership qualities. Among these, he received the first runner-up CEO of the Year Award as well as the first prize in the Education Partnership 2013 Awards.

He was also awarded several public sector excellence in management awards in 2012 and 2013.

Under his management in 2013, the Zimbabwe School of Mines has introduced new courses which include the Mine Ventilation and Environmental Engineering Diploma and Higher Diploma courses, as well as the Coalbed Methane postgraduate course in gas mining.

Other achievements in 2013 include the increase in female and international students at the School of Mines.

The services and infrastructure at the school have also been upgraded. This includes a new administration block, auditorium, staff houses, academic staff office, mining open museum and an underground mining model.

Mr Tusai is a seasoned corporate governance professional who has sat on various private and public sector boards.

He is a former chairman of the Institute's Bulawayo branch and currently sits on the boards of Meriwether Foundation, Hlekweni Rural Service Training Centre, Association of Business in Zimbabwe and Kadvet, where he is chairman.

In the societal and social area, Mr Tusai is Nyamandlovu Farmers' Association secretary for partnerships, linkages, and networking. The association is, among other things, developing permaculture agricultural models.