The CEO magazine Zimbabwe December edition

CEO

THE DECEMBER\\\2017 JANUARY\\\2018ISSUE

EXECUTIVE MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN ZIMBABWE

CHANGING THE GAME IN THE PRIVATE SECURITY INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AND THE ART OF PLATE SPINNING

Why Senior Executives are the Front-line Against Cyber Attacks

STRATEGIES FOR PENETRATION IN A CUT-THROAT MARKET

Customer Value Creation: the 1st Goal for Enterprise, interview with

Dr Abel Mubango, CEO PEACE SECURITY LESSONS FOR ZIMBABWE FROM INDIA’S WAR ON CASH Key strategies to resolve The Zimbabwe Cash Crisis

SMART INVESTMENT DECISIONS TO SECURE YOUR FUTURE

Innovating past the Glass Ceiling

Lessons from Sara Blakely CEO of Spanx that you wont hear in Business school

NOT FOR SALE

[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ] [ FOCUSONWINNING ]

[ EXECUTIVEADVICE ]

[ EXECUTIVEGADGETS ]

SMART LEADERS FOCUS ON EXECUTION FIRST AND STRATEGY SECOND

10 lessons from Sara Blakely founder of Spanx that you wont hear in Business school

Luxury Watches for Women With Fine Taste

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ] CUSTOMER VALUE CREATION: THE FIRST GOAL FOR ENTERPRISE

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Zimbabwe Economy and Survival Strategies for 2018

p40 LEADERSHIP THE ART OF PLATE SPINNING

p44 ONE YEAR AFTER INDIA KILLED OFF CASH, HERE'S WHAT ZIMBABWE SHOULD LEARN FROM IT

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Competition is Good for Your Business

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[ EXECUTIVEFOODS ] REASONS WHY CHOCOLATE IS GREAT FOR YOU

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[ EXECUTIVETRAVEL ] AFRICAN SUN PERSISTS IN HOSPITALITY CHARM

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Changing the Game in the Private Security Industry

p16 STRATEGIES FOR MARKET PENETRATION IN A CUT-THROAT MARKET

p20 STEPS TO SUCCESS IN BUSINESS AND CAREER

p24 HOW ERICSSON ALIGNED ITS PEOPLE WITH ITS TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY

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WHY SENIOR LEADERS ARE THE FRONT LINE AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS

p51 AFRICAN BUSINESS LEADERS SHARE THE BEST ADVICE THEY'VE EVER RECEIVED

p54 CEOs Explain How They GENDER-BALANCED THEIR BOARDS

p56 Wise Tips Famous CEOs Would Give Their Younger Selves

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Remuneration Challenges & Recommendations A Country Perspective

p30 Innovating Past the Glass Ceiling

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THE CEO MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED AND DISTRIBUTED BY: Kevin Martin Communication Livingstone/9th Avenue The Avenues Harare

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+263 778 70 2051 +263 8544 142 525 +263 712 156 936 theceomagazinezw@outlook.com

Layout & Design by: JabulaniDouglas Brothers +263 775 064 698 Printed by: Multiprint Litho South Africa Photography by: Darlington Chigumbu +263 772 204 155

[ CONTRIBUTORS ]

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12 Bhaskar Chakravorti

Dr A Mubango

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20 Gillian Rusike

Mark Tome

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26 Bina Chaurasia

Chris Kirubi

34 Dr Caroline Chirima

66 Edwin Shangwa THECEO \\\ 03

[ WELCOMENOTE ]

As I write this welcome note on the 15th November, 2017, there are unprecedented events that are happening in our country. Many youngsters will read of these events in their history books in years to come as one of the watershed moments of our country. My hope is that these events will lead to a turnaround in the economic fortunes of our country, lead to investor confidence, clear and fair policies and regulations that promote industry growth. We pray for a positive change in the lives of every Zimbabwean.

The shortage of foreign currency has not spared the CEO Magazine as the August / September issue was delayed due to our inability to access adequate Forex to pay for the printing of the magazine in South Africa. I am confident that the arrangements we have put in place going forward will enable us to timeously deliver on our promises to our advertisers and avid readers.

Dear Readers

The past three months have certainly been a hive of activity for the CEO Magazine as we held a very successful Executive Seminar in August. We also launched and hosted the first ever Zimbabwe Private Security Awards this past September. These awards aim to celebrate the work that is being done by the private security sector in the country and to encourage fair competition within this industry. There are many companies that are doing fantastic work and which remain under the shadows of bigger and older establishments. My gratitude goes out to all the Security companies and their supporters who attended the awards. It was a night of celebration and networking for the industry. We are planning an even bigger event next year and I invite interested companies to join us in making this event a success.

This issue of the CEO Magazine celebrates the private security sector and the resilience of many of the unsung heroes in the sector. We also have educative, informative and inspirational interviews with leading local and international CEOs and executives. I hope you will enjoy reading this issue and thank you for your continued support.

To advertise in the January/February issue of the magazine, please drop me an email at ch i p o m a p s @ g m a i l . c o m o r W h at s a p p nu m b e r 00263778702051

by Chipo Sibongile Mapungwana

Enjoy

Chipo Happy Holidays THECEO \\\ 04

[ FOCUSONWINNING ]

SMART LEADERS FOCUS ON EXECUTION FIRST AND STRATEGY SECOND

“WE found the perfect strategy” ranks with “And they lived happily ever after” as a perpetual myth. A strategy is never excellent in and of itself; it is shaped, enhanced, or limited by implementation. Top leaders can provide the framework and tools for a team, but the game is won on the playing field.

When a strategy looks brilliant, it's because of the quality of execution. A dumb idea is the one you fumble in the field by missing critical details, like how customers would react or what competitors might change while you're still picking up the ball.

Savvy leaders whose strategies succeed tend to focus on four implementation imperatives: Question everything. When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007 with AT&T as exclusive service provider, telecom giant Verizon decided to launch its own smartphone. It knew it had to act fast, so top leaders began by challenging major assumptions about how they operated. Instead of do-itourselves, they worked with Google and Motorola. Instead of we-know-better, they used their partners' capabilities and shared data. Instead of waiting for every step to be finished before proceeding to the next, they worked on many fronts simultaneously. They created an excellent product in record time, in time for launch in the 2009 holiday season. In the two months post-launch, Droid sales even outpaced the iPhone's launch numbers. Verizon would not have been able to so quickly and successfully change its strategy without being willing to question and overhaul traditional organizational structures.

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Inform everyone, then empower champions.

Excellent execution requires both breadth and depth. Big strategies need local options. A bank CEO who successfully implemented a new strategy for positioning the company as environmentally responsible in a country with strong environmental values started with broad awareness sessions for all employees, so they would know what was happening, and so the company could benefit from crowd sourced ideas. But then the CEO zeroed in on volunteer champions who stepped forward to realize the vision through innovations in products and customer relationships. He didn't worry about converting the skeptics, insist that all units make changes at exactly the same rate, or determine which innovations to undertake.

He started a snowball rolling. The champions' wins became success stories that stimulated others to adopt practices or create their own.

Keep relationships tight and rules loose. Visionary leaders see further when they can see through many eyes.

This means staying in close communication with their onthe-ground players, the way football coaches talks with quarterbacks on headsets throughout the game. The CEO and COO of a multisite nonprofit were rolling out a new strategy started with tight, rules-laden processes and playbooks. But as unexpected obstacles and shortfalls showed up on quarterly reports, they realized they should loosen procedural controls while working harder to get the on-site implementers working closely together and with HQ as allies in pursuit of a common mission. Once they articulated their shared purpose, took responsibility for

[ FOCUSONWINNING ]

how every other site performed, and developed mutual respect, they vaulted over hurdles and created better ways to meet goals. Shared values knit people together. Arrogance at the top and communication silos below undermine execution.

This increased TV's perfor mance and led to a lucrative sale of the digital assets.

Modify quickly. David Kenny became the CEO of private-equity-owned Weather Company to bring its TV channel into the digital age by building on a wealth of data analytics. He also stressed synergies between digital and TV. On-air meteorologists were expected to produce content for social media and digital channels, while digital producers developed short-form videos that could be viewed online, on mobile devices, or on TV. This became difficult and burdensome. At the same time, the divergence between the two sides increased: dramatic growth for digital, flat for TV. So instead of exhorting each to redouble their efforts, Kenny split them into two divisions.

Try, test, learn, and modify” is a better approach than sticking to something that isn't producing results.

Strategy can be viewed as a literary effort to craft a complete script and then hand it over to actors who enact it word by word. I prefer to think of it as resembling improvisational theater. A strategy takes shape from what actors do in front of audiences that provide feedback.

Like the rapid prototyping of products in the tech world, or like a capital campaign for hospitals or museums that begins with a quiet phase, strategy often emerges from thoughtful planning followed by serendipitous execution experiments, like doing better than expected in a particular market. In fact, successful leaders sometimes wait to announce a strategy until it's well under way.

For all the faddish talk about audacious goals and moonshots, the bigger an unproven promise, t h e h a rd e r t h e f a l l wh e n execution doesn't match the hype. It is important to avoid the temptation to declare victory at an announcement of a strategy — the photo op of merger partner s' handshakes, the external award for product design, or the big donation for work not undertaken — only to find that the merger dissolves, customers ignore the product, and the new work never gains traction.

In short, encourage innovation, begin with execution, and name the strategy later. \\\ THECEO THECEO \\\ 07

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

CUSTOMER VALUE CREATION: THE FIRST GOAL FOR ENTERPRISE Interview with Dr A Mubango, CEO, Peace Security

GENERALLY one associates private security companies with people who have been working in the army or the police, however, the birth of Peace Security happened when I decided that it was time to leave formal employment and form a company of my own. After considering a number of options, we decided that we were going to start a security company and that was the beginning of Peace Security fifteen years ago.

When you start a company, you will find that people may not have the faith or trust in your company to give you business. Many businesses prefer to deal with businesses that have trade references. Most companies we approached during these formative years were asking us to provide them with names of companies or clients we had done business with. Some companies don't want green field ventures experimenting with their businesses, especially in the security sector where the risk of loss can run into millions. It took a courageous company to agree to give us a contract and we have not looked back since. This is one of the challenges of an emerging business , to break into an existing market. Entrepreneurs who are starting business must be realistic in their expectations and realize that success will not happen overnight.

My advice to first time entrepreneurs, is that when you are given an opportunity for an order – you should deliver and exceed your customer's expectations.

Customers have long memories and if your company does not do the project as expected, you will not be able to use that company as a reference , and it's difficult to go back for more work. Once you have been presented with an opportunity, make sure that you deliver quality and value.

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There are over 700 private security companies that are registered in Zimbabwe, with about 250 of them operating. The size of the market is shrinking and therefore there is a lot of competition in the private security industry. For the number of companies that are operating in the country, there are hundreds of private security companies knocking on their doors.

Therefore companies should be strategic in the way that they operate. In the first instance, you cant be everything to everyone. So it is advisable to choose your niche market carefully. Company executives also need to decide what they would like their brands to be known for.

What value do you want to be adding to your customers? As Peace Security, our focus is on excellent service. We want to make sure that wherever we are doing business, we are delivering value and exceeding the expectations of our customers.

Our clients do not want to have a guard standing in their premises just for the sake of it. They want to see the value addition so that they can happily sign and pay their invoices. That value should be more than the money they are paying us.

A lot of companies are found wanting in this area. Many people who go into business are usually so concerned about making money that they forget that the only way to make the money is through the customer. Companies should first of all create value propositions that solves customers' problems and for which customers are willing to pay. This can only start with doing work that you enjoy and have a passion for. When one does not have that passion, one will end up doing business, just because that type of work has generated money for someone else. Owning a company whose business you are not passionate

about, will likely result in you giving up when the operating environment gets tough.

Setting up a business should go beyond its money generating potential.

If you are not passionate about what you do, you are also more likely to give up when faced with stiff competition.

Competition is part of a healthy and normal business environment and companies should welcome it. As a business owner, you need to make sure that you have the right strategies to defend your corner, to look after your clients well so that they do not have a reason to entertain other propositions.

When you go out to look for more business your loyal customers can also become your advocates.

The number of awards that we have won as a company are also a testimony that we as a company are doing good work which third parties also recognize.

As a company, it is our job to promote our services and products. Similarly, the responsibility is also on us to make sure that the people who use our products and services regularly, are happy to put in a good word for us at all times, because of the value that we bring to their companies and lives.

These cheerleaders are our Brand Advocates and they have played a very vital role in our company's growth.

When businesses focus their efforts towards developing brand advocates, they will see an increase in their company reach because people like to be a part of the brands they love, and want to share their experiences with those around them. Brand Advocacy is a practice and philosophy where people

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

who love using your products or services promote your brand to their friends and associates. The fan of a product and brand does this promotion naturally, and companies do not pay a penny for this type of advertisement.

If a company wants its clients to become advocates, management and staff must provide quality on all counts.

The product or service you offer must also reflect your seriousness in providing an excellent experience. For this, you also have to empower your team to deliver the promise to your clients. It is the onus of the whole company to provide quality at all levels.

One of the challenges that SMEs and start- ups have is that of capital. Most people start businesses when they only have enough money to sustain it for a few months , if at all. This provides would- be entrepreneurs with the chicken and egg dilemma. Do I start the business now or wait until I have saved up enough money? And we all know how difficult it is to save money in this environment. This discourages people from starting new businesses.

When we started Peace Security, thank GOD we were fortunate to have some capital set aside to start the project.

However, when we started to grow , there came a time that we needed to seek for further investment. Because our track record inspired confidence with our bankers and investors, we were able to get funding for further growth.

However, many companies are not that fortunate largely because their projects do not seem bankable on paper. Banks and investors also want collateral, which some companies and especially SMEs may not have and this creates a funding problem for entrepreneurs. My advice for SMEs seeking funding is to find alternative ways to get the capital that they need.

A few of these ideas include negotiating an advance from a strategic partner or customer. Finding a major customer, or a complimentary business, who sees such value in your idea that they are willing to give you an advance or royalty payments to complete your development. Variations on this theme THECEO \\\ 10

include early licensing or white-labeling agreements. As an SME, you can also apply to local angel-investor groups.

Find groups of local high-net-worth individuals interested in supporting startups, and willing to syndicate amounts for qualified startups.

Crowd funding is the newest source of funding, where anyone can participate and is exemplified by online sites such as Crowdfunding.com. Here people make online pledges to your startup during a campaign, to pre-buy the product for later delivery, give donations or qualify for a reward etc.

Many start-ups are funded by friends and family and as a general rule, professional investors will expect that you already have commitments from this source to show your credibility. If your friends and family do not believe in you, do not expect outsiders to jump in. Self funding is the primary source of funds for most startups. It may take a bit longer to save some money before you start and grow organically, but the advantage is that you do not have to give up any equity or control. Your business is yours alone.

I however believe that it is important for the private security industry to create a platform where security companies and interested stakeholders c a n c o m e t o g e t h e r a n d s h a re information about how the industry operates, as well as what investors and financial institutions require from them. Financial institutions should also play a greater advisory role , to enable SMEs to manage their businesses better.

In the next five years , we would like Peace Security to be the biggest private security company in Zimbabwe and also to have a listing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. We will also continue to explore opportunities within the region.

My advice to up and coming entrepreneurs is that you should not forget that in order for you to get the PRIZE there is always a PRICE that you must pay. \\\ THECEO

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

ALMOST a year ago, the Indian government rolled out an unprecedented policy move. Arguably, it was a time when the country was poised for economic success. With $9.49 trillion in purchasing power parity, it was the third-largest (in PPP terms) and the fastest-growing large economy in the world.

ONE YEAR AFTER INDIA KILLED OFF CASH, HERE'S WHAT ZIMBABWE SHOULD LEARN FROM IT

by Bhaskar Chakravorti Executive Director of Fletcher's Institute for Business

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On November 8, with no advance war ning, India's two highestdenomination banknotes, the 500rupee and 1,000-rupee bills, were demonetized, rendering 86% of the country's currency invalid overnight.

The ostensible objective was a popular one: to root out corruption and illegitimate activity involving untraceable cash transactions. As the implications unfolded, I wrote two pieces (“India's Botched War on Cash” and “Early Lessons from India's Demonetization Experiment”) evaluating the policy and its impact. My assessment of the action was that the policy was poorly thought out and executed and that its net impact would be negative and particularly bad for the poor.

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

far-reaching consequences, there should have been a clear process for receiving professional expertise, data, and analyses and a mechanism for debate and discussion of the assumptions and the impact. It is important to have a record of such a process, even if it has to be conducted in secret. Governments need to be able to demonstrate that they have done their homework regardless of the ultimate outcomes of the action. Any democratically elected government owes this to its citizens — and to its country's future.

Indeed, India subsequently suffered a dramatic drop in its GDP growth rate, which fell to 6.1% annualized during January–March 2017 after three quarters with the annualized growth rate staying in the range of 7.9% to 7%. It most recent GDP growth figure has fallen to 5.7%, and part of that, too, can be attributed to the policy move from last November.

The Indian experience holds powerful lessons for policy makers planning economic interventions around the world.

Lesson One: Choose Your Experts Carefully All policies have consequences. Tracing the paths of those consequences is seldom straightforward, particularly when the impact is felt across a complex economy. In light of this, every economic policy ought to be preceded by some essential process elements: a sound theory; a rationale for why the underlying assumptions are valid, and the evidence for those assumptions; and cost-benefit analyses, including accounting for the systemic effects, unintended consequences, and learnings from similar actions elsewhere. Such processes are not easy to do and ought to be guided by experts in economics, business, and technology paired with experts in policy execution.

When considering action as drastic as shutting down highly-used currency in a large and complex economy, as was the case in India, such professionals ought to have been part of the process. To quote the person who may have been the most qualified to advise on such action, Raghuram Rajan, the widely respected former governor of India's central bank: “As a country, you would want to ask what were the inputs that went into that decision.” Rajan, in a new book, reveals he was against the idea of demonetization.

The other natural professional, the Indian government's chief economic adviser, has been quiet on the matter. He is known to have been a critic of “big bang” policy. One might speculate that he too would have advised against one of the biggest of bangs, such as a surprise demonetization.

It's unclear if any other experts have been consulted on the India policy. NPR's Planet Money did report on one “expert” who might have been the inspiration: a hitherto unknown mechanical engineer-turnedturned-social-activist named Anil Bokil, with a five-point plan for “principled, prosperous, and peaceful living” and a 94page PowerPoint manifesto that he pitched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Before launching a policy action with such

Lesson Two: Don't Ignore Basic Data All policies have a stated objective of providing a public good. But every policy decision also involves trade-offs; invariably, creation of a public good places a burden on some segments of society. A fact-based cost-benefit analysis is essential. Any policy ought to be able to pass a simple test: If the basic data on the economy in a pro forma assessment suggests that the policy runs a high risk of failure or has a major negative impact, stop and ask more questions before proceeding.

The primary public good cited for India's demonetization move was to take on the problem of corruption and illegal activity. Many commentators have commended the Indian prime minister for his “courage” in taking on such fundamental problems with bold action. This decisiveness was also popular and was rewarded politically by the strong performance of the Modi administration in crucial midterm regional elections.

There are, however, several factors that ought to have been considered in the context of invalidating cash in India from the outset. For one, invalidating 86% of the value of cash in circulation should be an automatic red flag, because it could bring the economy to the brink of chaos. Second, 90% of India's workers are in the informal sector, where the predominant form of payment is cash. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which such “double” invalidation would not constitute a body blow to the workforce and the economy.

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

Third, in a recent analysis of income tax probes, the cash component of undeclared wealth in India was estimated to be only about 6%. In other words, the policy instrument was aimed at the wrong target: most undisclosed wealth is held in noncash assets. All of this data was readily available and should have given the policy makers pause.

Lesson Three: Consider Human Behavior As observed earlier, policies ought to be accompanied by a theory about how the policy intervention is expected to translate into impact. This translation m e ch a n i s m i t s e l f re l i e s o n t h e assumptions about how real people behave in response to a change in their environment. The effectiveness of policies ultimately depends on how well one anticipates such behaviors, which, in turn, involves taking a holistic view of the incentives and contexts of citizens — what people want, what they believe, and what they know about their environments. Policy makers must factor in how they have an effect on these fundamental drivers in order to change behaviors.

In the case of India's demonetization, it is safe to assume that people have a strong incentive to not lose money, so it is natural that they found ways to deposit their invalidated cash in the banks. In Indian society, not unlike in societies around the world, there is access to money-laundering networks and creative schemes for getting around rules and regulations. For an example of one such scheme, people with large holdings of the old banknotes sold them at a discount to brokers who then distributed them across a network of other people to deposit smaller amounts at banks so that they would not trigger an audit. India's central bank, the RBI, recently reported that of the estimated 15.28 trillion rupees ($239 billion) in currency taken out of circulation by demonetization, almost 99% had been returned to the banking system. The original argument for demonetization unraveled because of the strategy of leaving the holders of illegal cash stranded with useless banknotes appears to have mostly failed.

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Lesson Four: Beware of Digital Silver Bullets With the growing embrace of mobile communications and digital technology world wide, along with major technology players committing to using their products and technologies as forces for social good, there is a growing belief that these technologies can bring about rapid change. Of course, it also helps that the term “disruptive� is frequently attached to such technologies. With this context in mind, it is tempting for policy makers to champion something that promotes digital uptake with the argument that it will be transformational. In such situations, it should be verified that the conditions for such uptake do indeed exist in the economy.

In India's case, when it was becoming clear that the initial objective of leaving illegal cash hoardings stranded was failing, the administration changed its narrative to a backup rationale: The demonetization was good for weaning the country off its dependence on cash and moving transactions to digital platforms, thereby leading to greater efficiencies, transparency, and growth of online commerce, thereby catapulting India more forcefully into

the digital age.

Unfortunately, here, too, the policy's impact has fallen short. According to additional data from the RBI, while digital transactions did spike postdemonetization (when consumers had few alternatives), they have now dropped below the peak levels in both volume and value. Growth in digital transactions has been slowing each month since demonetization.

With the exception of the Unified Payments Interface, a payments system that facilitates instant fund transfers between bank accounts on mobile platforms, all other digital payments transactions have declined. All things considered, this modest change in digital uptake could deliver over the longer term, but it is not clear why invalidating 86% of the country's cash was necessary to promote a single payment platform.

The Indian experience also helps us explore the reasons why the adoption of digital payments did not accelerate as o n e m i g h t h ave ex p e c t e d a f t e r demonetization.

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The explanation relies on an understanding of factors that drive digital adoption. The quality of the digital experience is one such factor. If nothing else changes in their environment and incentives, and users' digital experiences are poor, they will go back to the predigital status quo.

A s p a r t o f o u r s t u d y, d o n e i n collaboration with Mastercard, Digital Planet 2017: How Competitiveness and Trust in Digital Economies Vary Across the World, based on the extent of friction — regulatory, infrastructural, and identity- and interface-related — present in the digital environment, we ranked 42 countries by speed, quality, and ease of use when transacting online. India ranked 41st. The only country it beat was its neighbor Pakistan. The lesson: Digital adoption will not be meaningful unless users can trust the infrastructure to reliably deliver. If your policy does not, simultaneously, improve the state of friction-freeness in the digital experience, do not plan on the technology delivering transformational change.

Leaders around the world are under pressure to show courage and take bold policy action. But policy actions have real consequences, and tracing the path toward their wider impact is difficult and complex. There may be short-term political benefits from appearing d e c i s i ve o n p o l i t i c a l c a m p a i g n promises, but the negative impact on the economy can create longer-term risks and eventually bite back.

It is better to deliberate and consult the r i g h t p ro f e s s i o n a l s a ro u n d t h e policymaking process and ensure that it is founded on both theory and evidence.

India's demonetization debacle ought to serve as a cautionary tale for all of us.

Bhaskar Chakravorti is the Senior Associate Dean of International Business & Finance at The Fletcher School at Tufts University and founding Executive Director of Fletcher's Institute for Business in the Global Context.

He is the author of The Slow Pace of Fast Change. \\\ THECEO THECEO \\\ 15

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

Changing the Game in the Private Security Industry Interview with Mark Tome MD, Blackshark Protection Services

THE Zimbabwe Private Security industry is changing, with new players entering the industry and creating stiff competition in a market that is shrinking, due to the current economic climate. This has not stop new entrants form establishing themselves in the country, with the goal of establishing themselves as alternative service providers in a market that is characterized by a few well- entrenched big companies and emerging new entrants. Blacksharkis one such company, formed a few years ago and operating in Zimbabwe, with its headquarters in Harare. We were delighted to catch up with Mark Tome , the Managing director of Blackshark to talk about how his company is changing the face of the Private Security industry in Zimbabwe.

In today's competitive market all security companies are constantly striving to find ways of distinguishing themselves from the ever-growing pool of competitors. Yet gaining an advantage, either by offering the equivalent service or product at a lower price or delivering differentiation through an enhanced level of service, is never quite as easy as it sounds. When I first started out in the security industry years ago, it seemed a lot more straight-forward.The customer had limited choice in terms of suppliers, and technology was a lot less sophisticated. A security system was invariably seen as a grudge purchase to meet insurance or regulatory requirements as opposed to today where it is regarded as an essential purchase by many companies and individuals.

Wind forward to 2017, however, and the private security landscape has changed considerably. It's now reportedly worth over US$40billion worldwide, an astonishing amount when you consider where it has come from. The market in Zimbabwe has also become increasingly

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

fragmented and there are now a whole host of players from multi-national to small local regional companies and ICT focused new entrants.

Blackshark is one of the fastest growing private security companies in the country. Since the inception of the company, the company has now built a guard force of over 400 guards and as our client book continues to grow, we anticipate that this figure will double in the next few month. Our main products are man guarding and integrated electronic surveillance which includes electric fences and alarms installations, CCTV installation and monitoring, vehicle tracking and rapid response. Our target market is individuals and corporate property man guarding and electronic surveillance, in mining, education, financial services and aviation. Private security has evolved over the years and there is a greater requirement and use of electronic systems by our clients.

Because of these changes in the security industry, the company has also been evolving since its formation, to include a large electronics department, that compliments its manned guards department. Customers are requesting both manned guards and electronic surveillance equipment to cut costs.

As a business ,we have been on a growth trajectory and as recent as 2016, we went through a cor porate transformation phase in which we restructured the whole business. The driving force behind the growth of Blackshark is a very active board and hands on,

experiences management team. Businesses today are held to incredibly high standards by investors and customers alike. Many companies are willing to pay more for products and services from a company that demonstrates corporate social good and being honest and open about process and operations counts a great deal. Our shareholders and consumers want to see our company operating with integrity. Good corporate governance has allowed our company to put our positive traits on display.

With our intentions made visible to all, this enables all our stakeholders to hold us accountable for our behavior and actions. This has gone a long way in enabling us to differentiate the company and market ourselves.

As a company, we are passionate about continuous improvement especially in the areas that directly impact our customers. This is the reason why the company decided to become ISO Certified in 2016 (ISO 14001 Environmental Management System; ISO9001 Quality Management System and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety System. We made a strategic decision to focus on standards and systems that improve our employees' skills, and ways of working. We aim to change our customers' experience in the security sector by focusing on our corporate culture, so as to provide greater service to our customers. As a result of this focus on customers, our customer book has been growing. Security companies need to focus on continuous improvement and innovation and hence one of the most important departments in the business is the Client relations

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

department. There is continuous formal and informal engagement between the company and its customers.

Because of this our customers have evolved to be our trusted business partners.

Traditionally, differentiation in our market has thus been achieved through a combination of relationship building with the customer and providing a perceived better product/service a very transactional approach.

When it comes to customer relationships, earning trust, building rapport and fostering loyalty are key goals.

Customer relationship management is arguably one of the most important aspects to our business. Some of the ways that senior management at Blackshark is encouraged to build relationships include:

At Blackshark , we are however going above and beyond this approach to sustain a position of growth in this market.

Always connecting with our networks: Our network is our lifeline and includes our colleagues, customers, prospects, suppliers, contractors, competition, family and friends. When I first connect with someone, I ask myself, “What can I do for them?” There is a good chance that one day, some of those connections may know someone who will become a customer – or even become one themselves. Always Be Connecting. It will pay dividends for years to come.

Treating our customers as we would like to be treated. At Blackshark , we maintain what I call a “professional friendship” with all of our customers. This keeps the communication casual, and the lines always open. This enables us to treat our stakeholders like human beings we really like.

Setting proper expectations. As a customer success advocate, I never want to have a customer feel let down.

But this can happen if you haven't properly set expectations. Set and manage expectations with each and every customer, on all projects, and be sure to follow through with them. Remember, it's always better to underpromise and over deliver, than to fall short and disappoint.

Respond timeously to customer queries. One of the benefits to working with a dedicated customer team, is our ability to respond quickly. Regardless of the size of your business, your customers deserve a prompt response.

Today's “on demand” business environment means our customers have busier than ever schedules and tight timelines. A quick reply from us to one of their questions can mean the difference between a good relationship and a great one.

The transactional approach is outmoded Most of the time our customers are simply searching for a reliable and responsive level of service however expectations are certainly on the up. Our customers expect us to deliver business efficiency, optimizing the use of security resources, delivering innovative solutions and providing life-cycle cost of ownership, to name but a few expectations.

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Achieving differentiation in my experience is now about developing a clear and focused strategy (versus price leadership) that leverages our company's brand, scale and expertise. Without this, it would have been very difficult to gain an advantage over our competition. Invariably it then becomes a fight to the bottom based around price.

I am a great believer in knowing our customers and making sure we know exactly what makes them tick.

There are several reasons why many security companies have failed and why some have now become stagnant.

Bad customers service strategy, lack of skills development and innovation and a lack of good corporate governance are some of the major reasons for corporate failure.

Companies should not pay lip service to customer service , but should create clear strategies that enable staff to deliver exceptional service. Training and continuous technical skills development is critical to the growth of the sector and at Blackshark, we take this very seriously.

Many security companies are also badly managed with little or no accountability when things go wrong. This demotivates employees and creates unhappy staff, whose behavior automatically translates into bad service. Many large companies also erroneously tell their customers what they need instead of listening to them. Playing an advisory role to one's customers is important, however , as service providers , security companies are there to serve and hence the most important part of building relationships is listening.

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

One of the critical decisions that we made this last year was to be ISO Certified. ISO Certification is important for the company as it provides solid proof that we have standards and systems in place. ISO Certification is a tool that differentiates companies and is a great way to market our services. Many companies want to deal with Security companies that are ISO Certified as this proves that the customer is at the heart of their operations. As we plan our local and regional expansion programs, we are confident that the ISO Certifications will go a long way in enabling us to attract more customers to our portfolio.

In conclusion: Security companies need to be a lot more connected with customers and their markets, developing greater subject matter expertise in order to respond in the right way and with the right solution. We know that price will always be a factor however if your strengths and capabilities are aligned to the customers, price becomes less of an issue and is transformed into value creation. The continued convergence of security with IT means that we need to tackle and embrace the change and divergence in technology. There is a real need to strengthen customer relationships to better protect, grow and tie-in existing customers. Our customers are now exposed to far greater choices and only through closer collaboration and the constant delivery of innovation and service excellence can we achieve competitive advantage and growth in this rapidly changing market. \\\ THECEO

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

Gillian Rusike CEO Marketers Association of Zimbabwe

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

STRATEGIES FOR MARKET PENETRATION IN A CUT-THROAT MARKET AS soon as a company enters a new market, it strives for market penetration. The main objective to enter the market as swiftly as possible and finally, capture a sizeable market share. In some other instances, market penetration is sometimes used as a measure to know whether a product is doing well in the market or not in view of competition.

In a crowded market place, the best way to get noticed is through branding which in a nutshell means creating value in the minds of the consumer. Value is created when a product or service fulfills a genuine need of the consumer.

To develop ef fective marketing techniques, a marketer needs to work like a psychologist understand what drives and motivates customers. They should go beyond traditional customer demographics. It includes age, gender, race, income and geographic location which are useful to analyse market trends. For a pizza outlet, if majority of people are in the 18-35 group in the area, other motivating factor such as taste, ambience, convenience, media campaigns should be assessed before evolving marketing techniques to boost sales.

Most often pricing is not the only reason a product is preferred over others. It could be safety, quality, durability, convenience, technological features, perceived value for money, design aesthetics and so on.

Here are ten marketing techniques for success Ÿ Stand out among the crowd and the USP There are several products launched every day but not many become household names. If you need to stand out you need to create good campaigns in the media if it is a mass market product as a soap, hair oil, electronic appliance, mobile phone. Without being seen or talked about, there is little chance of the product or brand succeeding in the market place. In order to stand out, every product should have a unique

selling proposition (USP) which should become the core focus of your marketing techniques. It is a quality or a set of qualities that differentiates you from the competition. Ÿ Hoardings & Electronic banners Any mass market product will start to get noticed once they appear in banners and hoardings across cities. Commuters may only just have a glance at the ads hence it is better focus more on visuals than words.Just as in mass media, hoardings and banners have a mass appeal when displayed across cities and towns as the commuting crowd is mixed and belongs to all walks of life.

P u bl i c Re l at i o n s a n d M e d i a coverage If the product is good or is quite exceptional, it makes sense to announce the launch of the Ÿ

No company can ignore the online promotion in this digital era when people look for now information about products on the web and mobile.

product in newspapers and TV channels. If the launch is by a celebrity, it makes more new value for the product as well as the medium. The prominent features of the product, company profile and future plans can be announced in the press. The value of a news item is that it is seen as more credible by readers than an advertisement. Moreover, corporate image building is better done through the media which in turn would also help in future. Moreover, product launch news with photo can add value to the marketing campaign of the company. Ÿ Events and promotions Events and trade fairs are widely attended by the public, which is perhaps, the right platform to launch and display new products. Events are capable of driving sales as customers need a reason to shop and events create that particular reason. Ÿ Online and social media promotion No company can ignore the online promotion in this digital era when people look for now information about products on the web and mobile. Websites may give the primary footprint on the web and its mobile site but social media promotion has become inevitable marketing techniques for any organization as people see the Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus updates first before watching anything else. Ÿ Inbound marketing Inbound marketing is cost effective in this list of marketing techniques but much would depend on the relevance of the topics and its importance for the consumer. Articles are highly valued in industries that require specialized knowledge, skills and expertise. Articles related to new technologies, innovations, research findings can be shared in the form of articles or white papers.

Such technical information enables buyers to make informed decisions on purchasing.

Differentiated, undifferentiated marketing techniques Companies can use both differentiated and undifferentiated marketing techniques to promote products. In the differentiated strategy, campaigns appeal to at least two market segments or target groups. A retail store can promote sales in two different cities and also market a product that appeals to women in two age groups. On the other hand, concentrated Ÿ

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ] marketing strategy is targeted at one specific market segment or audience. They are meant for smaller groups of people and will appeal to a specific segment Ÿ Direct marketing Direct marketing can be done through house-tohouse visits, online promotion through websites and social media and through participation in trade shows and events. Lot of companies sell through network marketing approach whereby each consumer is also an independent distributor of the product and earns points based on purchases made by them and those in their network. Ÿ Cold calling In some industries such as finance, insurance, banking and cellular services, cold calling is done to increase awareness and sales. Some people do object to such marketing efforts by companies as it is an intrusion into their privacy

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and also a disturbance especially if the call comes at odd hours. However, these marketing techniques forces the company to sell the company as well as the product. The advantage of cold calling is that it does make you think on your feet and encourage creativity and adaptability when facing potential consumers.

I n c e n t i ve s a n d p ro m o t i o n a l marketing techniques In a crowded market place, freebies, incentives to buy, reward points all add up to a company's marketing techniques of keeping ahead of competition. Contests offer an attractive marketing vehicle to acquire new client and awareness building. Coupons are provided to consumers for buying products. Sometimes, allowing consumers to sample products before purchase forces them to buy more. Publix super markets give free samples of their lime pie not because people question the goodness of the pie but makes them buy more. Ÿ

Conclusion: Companies now have the challenge of using a mix of online, offline, outdoor and point-of-purchase marketing techniques to keep ahead of the competition in a globalized milieu.

How best they use the marketing techniques outlined would decide their success or failure in the market place.

Some actions you could consider to be unique are:

Ÿ

Educate your customers – This is important as many times people are unaware of the quality of the product and how it could be of use to them.

Ÿ

Make purchasing easier – Many successful businesses lend a credit facility to their customers and thus increase the customers' ability to buy.

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Widen the distribution network – Making your product available at more locations and better delivery and service options can also significantly boost your sales figures.

Ÿ

Generate referrals – If you can encourage your customers to give referrals, it would certainty affect your chances of sales.

For example, you can offer gift coupons or reward points to those customers whose referrals do actually get converted.

Ÿ

Changing product designs – By making the product in a more user-friendly manner, your chances of sales conversion significantly get a lift. For example, you could make a lengthy novel a paperback one instead of a hardbound one.

Ÿ

Enter into strategic Alliances – A company can take advantage of already existing companies and enter into strategic alliances with them. This helps in endorsement of the product and gain wider penetration into the already existing markets of the partner. \\\ THECEO

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

STEPS TO SUCCESS IN BUSINESS AND CAREER

by Chris Kirubi, Director at Centum Investments (Kenya)

CHRIS Kirubi is a business mogul , who is currently placed among the top four wealthiest persons in Kenya, estimated at $300 million (approximately Ksh300 billion). He has invested in insurance, property, media and manufacturing.

Although his history does not reveal his family background in terms of economic class, one thing is evident: he grew from being an employee to an employer. Despite his experience, wealth and age, Chris Kirubi's daily life has lessons we can learn from. He shared some gems here.

I am a firm believer of the phrase that nothing good is ever served on a silver platter. Great success in your personal and professional life can not be achieved without putting yourself out there. . All successful people will definitely have a story to tell of the sacrifices that they had to make for them to get to where they are. They will talk about the efforts they put in, the risks that they took and the determination they had , in order to endure the hard times.

The grand future that you so desire will only come if you are willing to work for it. Plan and map out the future that you want to have and as you do this, be very strategic and realistic. You need to know your area of specialization and work towards it. The current decisions that you are making are critical because they will affect the outcome of your goals and dreams. Don't spend time and energy on ventures that are not in line with your aspirations. Save your time by knowing what you want and continue to work towards that purpose.

Maintain your focus even when the going gets tough and even when the naysayers try to keep you focused on the negative.

Many people thought that developing a mall like Twin Rivers in Kenya, was too ambitious. We, on the other hand were interested in proving that Kenya could have a world class mall such as those found in Dubai , while also attracting international retail brands. We took the criticism and made sure that we proved our critics wrong. We worked on our plan and improved the blue prints and kept our focus. The word is yours and you are fully responsible for the great future that you desire.

Attitude is everything: Most often, attitude is the key to success. I prefers attitude to skill in hiring an employee. I have said it time and time again that I employ mostly for attitude and train for skills. If you have a guy without the right attitude, their skills will not help you because they are irrelevant to your business. Most times it's not the person that is the most qualified that gets the job, but the one who shows the most potential; the one who is trainable.

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

If your academic merit contradicts your attitude, you might achieve very little for yourself, your employer and the community as a whole. The valuable question you need to ask is, if you were stripped off the various certificates, degrees and accolades that you hold, what are you worth?

Go the extra mile: In life, no one will teach you everything, even the teachers and lecturers you pay for knowledge. You have to go the extra mile and learn a new skill by yourself, either by going to a training institution, voluntary service or life experiences. As you study and acquire knowledge, remember to train yourself for the changing world of work and enterprise. Acquire additional skills that will develop you to face the future. Use the skills you have acquired to better your livelihood and of those around you.

He advises young people, who he describes as the drivers of innovation and change, to take full advantage of this and prove to the naysayers that they are not liability but the key catalysts for development.

Be holistic: Modernism is advocating for specialisation in the job market, but this does not mean that we confine ourselves to a particular knowledge. Sometimes turbulence comes and you lose your job, the only job you are skilled in.

Despite being a business man, Chris Kirubi's inspirational writing 'Ask Kirubi' is a proof that learning an extra skill in life will not limit one's capabilities in the professional world. In fact, it might be an eye opener that will lead a person to higher heights of success. Employers will prefer holistic candidates who can cover certain gaps in case the 'main' employee is not there.

Network: This is one basic requirement for success. Alone, you cannot succeed, as you need others in the form of advisers, business partners, customers, suppliers, lenders, friends and even competitors. Having these, you can easily thrive since they challenge you to the right path. “Africa has numerous opportunities, but remember you cannot thrive alone.

If you stand alone, you stand little or no chance of survival. But if you partner, merge your resources with other like-minded people then you will be able to attract bigger opportunities and the investment you need. ' Never be discouraged: Having gone an extra mile to acquire a new skill, having a positive attitude, being holistic and having a good network does not guarantee a seamless path to success. You might even be faced with bigger hurdles since you are destined for something unusual, something greater. This calls for patience in your endeavors. So many companies, institutions and even potential employers will turn you down, but this should be a motivation for you to go an extra mile.

No one should limit your potential. Show a potential investor how you can add value and be productive. The moment you limit yourself then that will be the beginning of your failure. Increase your competitiveness and productivity so that you can drive the leadership and economic development of your country and Africa. If I don't invest in your business then move on to the next investor. Work on your flaws and eventually someone will recognize your worth. \\\ THECEO

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

HOW ERICSSON ALIGNED ITS PEOPLE WITH ITS TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHIEF HR OFFICER

BINA CHAURASIA THECEO \\\ 26

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ] A recent shift in strategy required an overhaul of HR. Ericsson's chief human-resources officer, Bina Chaurasia, describes how skills, technology, and processes had to change on a global scale.

It's been more than a decade since Ericsson relied on its own mobile-phone production, and nearly four years since it sold its stake in the Sony–Ericsson joint venture. In 2010, Ericsson embarked on a journey to reframe its strategy and become a leader in telecom services, software, and hardware.

This strategic shift brought with it a talent challenge, as new markets and priorities required different capabilities. In this interview conducted by McKinsey's Simon London, Bina Chaurasia, Ericsson's chief humanresources officer, describes how the company has revamped HR in response—increasing its agility, coordination, global scale, and ability to leverage data analytics.

What was the business context for the organizational changes human resources has been driving over the past few years?

Bina Chaurasia: When Hans Vestberg started as CEO six years ago, he decided to get out of the remaining consumer businesses and grow the software and services segments, which now make up about two thirds of our total operations. The idea was to leverage the core network-infrastructure business to develop new growth areas, including TV and media, cloud services, and support software—what you might call telecom IT solutions. At the time, it was very clear to Hans that you couldn't accomplish this vision without transforming the skills and capabilities of our people across the organization.

What were the company's biggest organizational strengths and liabilities in pursuing this new strategy?

Bina Chaurasia: Our culture was our strongest asset. It's a culture of collaboration and innovation; people are used to working with colleagues across the globe or taking assignments in other locations. Our employees are also very clear about our deeper purpose—we are ultimately creating technology for good.

We go where no one's gone before, and we build communications infrastructure that makes a difference in communities across the world.

At the same time, we were incredibly decentralized. We had 23 regional groups that are now consolidated into 10. Every region had their own way of doing things. We had no clear systems in place. From an HR perspective, we had scattered processes and tools.

We had to tackle the problem in three simultaneous waves. One, we needed a single people strategy that was fully aligned with the business strategy. Two, we needed an integrated IT platform for HR. You can't run an efficient global company with disjointed IT tools. We're now on an integrated platform that can be used by both managers and employees, where our data can be centrally gathered and analyzed. And, three, we had to globalize our HR processes, with the criteria that each one should be simple, user friendly, and business focused. For example, we created global learning programs that our employees can access virtually on our Ericsson Academy portal from anywhere in the world.

We also had a larger vision to build an HR team with the knowledge and skills to partner with our leaders on implementing strategic shifts in the business. So we had to clarify roles, promote from within, bring in some strong external talent, and provide everyone with thorough training that included business acumen, financial analysis, and data analytics.

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ] What kind of insights have you been able to glean from the data analytics?

Bina Chaurasia: It's incredible. It's a guiding indicator in a variety of areas for the business as a whole. We can pool and crunch data from all over, not just from recruiting or performance. For example, in 2014, we did an extensive data analysis across more than 52,000 job applications for over 2,000 open positions in the US. We saw that more female candidates were applying to jobs posted by female managers. So we started looking at what might be the cause. Is the wording in the female managers' job descriptions different?

We decided to use an app to do a “gender bias wash” of job descriptions, removing male-focused references. Overall, we have now increased the percentage of external female applicants to one of our key global job portals from 16 percent to 21 percent in just the last 9 months. We have similar analytics insights into our learning programs, which enable us to develop and deliver those programs to our employees that best enable knowledge transfer on the job. It's essentially provided us with an ROI that we had not previously seen.

These kinds of stats are great, but the key is to move beyond data reporting and basic analytics to true predictive analytics—make the data a parameter in decision making. And you can't have that kind of analysis across the whole enterprise, if you don't go through the initial pain of bringing everyone onboard with common platforms and processes. And, of course, we build flexibility into our processes as needed to ensure that we are fast and relevant across our business lines and regions.

How did you go about tackling your new people strategy?

Bina Chaurasia: From a business perspective, it was important for us to identify the skill gaps that we would need to fill in order to succeed in our targeted growth areas. And a big part of that is building a competency model that we could use as a framework.

So, we literally took every single function in the company and all of its roles, mapped out the stages of each job, and laid out the competence needed for each one. That took a couple years, as you might imagine, getting every functional area into the framework.

At that time, many in the company thought it would be impossible. Today, every position in the company is mapped out.

At the same time, we had to ask ourselves, “How do we get an aggregated assessment of capabilities across the entire organization?” Our answer was to tie in the gap-identification process with our annual strategy review. Every business unit, every region develops their annual operating plan and their threeyear plan. We then analyze the competencies needed to deliver those plans, and determine how we'll fill the gaps. The aggregated information creates clear demand signals for our learning and recruiting teams. They know exactly what competence will be needed by which date, and in which country. And how you fill those competence gaps is equally important. You can't just go and hire all of them. You have to have a clear idea of what talent to hire, what learning programs to develop, and at what scale. It has always been very important to us as a company to focus on developing our employees' competence instead of just relying on hiring from the outside.

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ] How do you manage your talent pipeline?

Bina Chaurasia: Hans and I meet annually with every member of our global leadership team, and their HR partners, to review their talent and succession plans. The executive-leadership team then calibrates our top talent as a group and this talent-planning process culminates in my presentation to the board of directors.

Over the years, our talent pools have been extremely healthy for any position. So when we look externally, it's because we want to, not because we have to.

Have you put any directional targets in place when it comes to geographic presence or diversity?

Bina Chaurasia: Along with many leading Silicon Valley tech companies, we publicized our diversity figures. We weren't happy with the reality, so we put down a milestone—by 2020, at least 30 percent of our global employees will be women, up from 22 percent in 2014. It starts with the tone from the top. Hans has changed the makeup of his own leadership team. Before, there was one woman on the executive team; now there are four. If employees don't see it from the leaders, then it won't happen across the board. I've also been very clear in communicating our philosophy: Not only do you have to send the right signals from the top, but you have to make it organic so it's not about a quota system; naturally embed it into your hiring and talent-review process. Finally, make it locally relevant.

W h at r o l e h ave s o c i a l t o o l s p l a ye d i n t h e transformation, internally or externally?

Bina Chaurasia: We've invested a lot in collaboration tools for our internal learning programs. It's increasingly the way people want to learn, particularly millennials. We created Ericsson Play, a video learning model, where any employee can upload their own videos. Today, we have over 30 video channels with over 450,000 video views. We also launched Ericsson Academy Virtual Campus, which makes online training available to all our employees, and we've included mobile programs as well so people can learn on the go.

Externally, we've used social to build the company's employer brand. When I joined the company, we asked an outside firm to evaluate our employer brand and in their words it was “an incredibly well-kept secret.” So we tried to change that, and our employees have been our best advocates on social media. We started winning in rankings for great places to work.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Bina Chaurasia: I would have focused more on change management. I would have prepared the organization more by saying up front, “This is going to be a year of transition.” I kept the unit heads apprised, and the next level down was also engaged, but I could've done better to ensure communication all the way down the line. Building enterprise-wide tools and processes, and an HR department engaging on a strategic level, was a big change. But if we hadn't done that, we would not be able to transform Ericsson's capabilities, or contribute fully to the people side of our business strategy. \\\ THECEO

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

Remuneration Challenges & Recommendations A Country Perspective

by Memory Nguwi, Managing Consultant, IPC

COUNTRY Wage System overview Staff costs take a big junk of what every business generates in revenue hence the high level of attention it attracts from senior corporate leaders and shareholders. Despite the significance of optimal staff costs in running a successful business most organisation have no coherent strategy to harness the value from what they pay in staff costs. A number of Zimbabwean companies are struggling with unsustainable wages bills which have no link to productivity. Industry players across all sectors have raised the concern of unsustainable wages but still up to now there is no agreed national strategy or response to deal with the high wage costs. It is evident that Zimbabwe's competitiveness as a country and its products in particular have been impacted negatively but the unsustainable wages.

Government Wage Bill Zimbabwe's government's struggle to pay its employees is a lesson that every business needs to learn. At over 90% of total government revenue it could,subject to contrary evidence, be viewed as the highest staff cost to revenue ratioby any governmentin the whole world. Despite this abnormal situation, the government continues to manage the wage bill as if everything is normal. One example of is the payment of bonuses to civil servants when they can hardly afford or sustain such a payment. When wages move faster than productivity they become unsustainable resulting in payment delays. The evidence that the government can't afford or sustain the current wage bill is there for everyone to see.

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What is wrong with Remuneration Systems in Zimbabwe?

The first problem with our wage system is that it's 99.9% fixed; meaning whether an employee performs or not, they still get paid.

Whether people come to work or not, you still have to pay them.

Whether you are producing something or nothing, you still have to pay them. How can that be sustainable? Other countries have moved towards a wage system that is 60% guaranteed and 40% variable. We need to correct this now and the government must show the way. A few private organisations have already started on this journey.

The second problem is that salaries in this country are grade based. You need to get into a higher grade in order to earn more.

This has forced every employee to focus on getting into higher grades. The assumption with grading systems is that the higher you go the more value you add to the business. This is not always the case. You might have noticed that there are people in the same grade who are not performing tothe same levelbut are earning exactly the same salary. Progressive companies have built pay structures with wider ranges so that they can accommodate the different levels of performance by employees in the same grade.

The third problem is that we pay people on the basis of what they want in order to maintain a certain life style. Regardless of the size of the organisation, most organisations give their CEOs top of the range luxury vehicles over and above the basic salary and other “standard� benefits. In some instances you get companies replacing the same vehicles after 3 to 4 years at a huge expense to

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

the company. Why would a company incur costs of over a million dollars to buy vehicles for executives when the company needs slightly over a million to recapitalise? This kind of expenditure is what lower level employees see, especially when this happens in cases where they have gone for months without pay.

Why would a company incur costs of over a million dollars to buy vehicles for executives when the company needs slightly over a million to recapitalise?

The fourth problem is that companies are still providing unnecessary benefits. Companies need to get rid of some of the unnecessary benefits. Why should a company pay DSTV, buy cellphones for the executives, etc.? Surely at this level most of these executives can afford these things without company assistance. Other benefits that need to be removed are canteen meals (except where it's not possible for employees to go and buy their food without disrupting production). Give people a choice to buy their own food and choose what to eat for themselves. We have also now seen a proliferation of company buses. This a practice from hyperinflation. Let people find their own way to work; unless you are saying your location is not accessible to public transport. Imagine what catastrophe will befall your company if a full bus with employees is involved in an accident?

The fifth problem is the per diem problem. A number of companies pay their employees for going on training or strategy sessions outside town. The same employees are receiving a salary from the same company for the same days they are away on training. As a result managers are creating workshops outside town or outside the country in order for them to earn per diems.

That is a very bad practice. The company needs to pay for accommodation, meals and transport and a refundable incidental expenses money. That's it.

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[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

The sixth problem is the practices of paying people when they have not created value. When we start paying people for value created we will never have a problem. Even in cases where performance incentives are paid, they are not well structured to allow the company to pay extra remuneration for extra value created. The problem is that such schemes pay people extra remuneration for no extra value because they are poorly structured. In such schemes, very few companies define the minimum value to be created for the fixed remuneration we are already paying an employee. Only after the minimum threshold is reached should we start talking about paying for the extra value created. The way forward is, you must define value and how that value is created in the context of your business. Once that is done, find a scientific way of sharing that value between employees and shareholders. This can be achieved through profit linked productivity measurement schemes.

The seventh problem is misplaced priorities when it comes to remuneration. Executives must, by all means, try to dismantle all symbols of “obscene� corporate benefits when ordinary employees are starving. Some of these symbols include top of the range vehicles, trips that are not business linked, expensive offices meant to show status when employees have not been paid.

Zimbabwean executives can do themselves a favour by leading by example; if employees have not been paid, the next time your cash position improves, pay the lower level employees first. Most of them have no other means of raising money for their upkeep.

We have heard stories of executives paying themselves every month while ordinary employees go for months without receiving anything.

We see an opportunity for companies to save thousands, if not millions of dollars by restructuring their benefits structures to reflect the current realities in the economy. This will help companies not only save costs, but allow them to be profitable. For most companies the restructuring of the benefits will give significant net savings per year which may be reinvested into the business.

Memory Nguwi is an Occupational Psychologist, Data Scientist, Speaker, & Managing Consultant- Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd a management and human resources consulting firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/memorynguwi, Phone +263 4 481946-48/481950/2900276 or cell number +263772 356 361, email: mnguwi@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com \\\ THECEO

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• Harare Showgrounds • Ruwa • Bulawayo

[ EXECUTIVEINTERVIEW ]

Innovating Past the Glass Ceiling Conversation with Dr Caroline Chirima, MD Baztech CEO Mag: Please give a brief history of your company: CC: Baztech is an award winning company that has been at the forefront of providing Biometric time and access control solutions, CCTV, Turnstiles, Tripods, Library Book Detector solutions and any biometric accessories.

We were established in the heart of Harare, Zimbabwe in 1997 under the leadership of a proudly Zimbabwe visionary and an outstanding female entrepreneur businesswoman founder and Managing Director one of the few successful female entrepreneurs in a male dominated Security Industry.

CEO Mag: Can you describe the services that the company provides; CC: Our Time and Attendance solutions allows our customers to: Manage your employees hour s, Eliminate Buddy clocking, Eliminate t i m e t h e f t , E n f o rc e c o m p a ny parameters, Enhance security at your premises, Manage your overtime, Ensure payroll accuracy, Biometric Access control & CCTV systems allows you to: Enhance security at your premises with innovative top of the range, touch screen biometric devices, which can be configured according to your parameters, Restrict unauthorized entry to your sensitive areas like your document rooms, server rooms and management office areas.

Turnstiles can be linked to your biometric time and access control solution, enhancing security at your premises and with the confidence of capturing events on your CCTV system, with the capacity to rewind and play back your recorded footages.

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We offers several time and attendance platforms which suit small to large organizations. Our licensed software guarantees our clients of continued support and further developments and upgrades on our software, which was recently demonstrated this year as we celebrated our 20th anniversary and unveiled yet another innovative time and attendance software. Our main clients are manufacturing companies, Banks, schools, universities. Basically we have solutions that can meet various sectors.

CEO Mag: Comment about the importance of customers service to your company CC: Our vision and mandate as company is to be a leading supplier of biometric solutions, establish market leadership in the biometric solutions by delivering high quality and cost effective solutions that not only meet but exceeds the expectations of our clients based on accountability, integrity, transparency and great standards of excellence.

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CEO Mag: What sets your company apart from the other security companies. What can other non- private security companies learn from you about your success?

CEO Mag: Innovation is an important part of what your company service proposition. Please can you tell our readers what new innovations are impacting your industry and your customers.

CC: We provide Expertise in the private electronics solutions space. We are very experienced in this area, we offer innovative solutions to our clients, and excellent after sales support. We take our time to understand our customers' requirements. We believe in relational business relationship and not transactional relations. One of our pay-off line is “ The Friendship of those we serve, is the foundation of our success”We still stand today because of the loyalty and friendship of our customers and delivering good quality solutions. We have partnered up with internationally recognised partners to enhance our product offering and to stay abreast of the latest innovative solutions in theworld. These synergies will mutually benefit our clients as we are collaborating with the best companies.

CC: The pace of innovation continues to accelerate as companies compete to steer the industry in interesting directions. As companies become more experienced, manipulating unstructured data to identify patterns and trends, traditional surveillance data is more accurately being described as video-based data and used for business purposes.

CEO Mag: How do you see the security Distributor sector evolving and changing?

CC: It is obvious that the private security industry is indeed a fast growing industry. At the present, the private security industry is the second largest employer outside the civil service and this number is expected to grow. The worldwide private security services industry was approximately 96 billion U.S. dollars in size way back in 2013 and statistics have it that the largest share of this market was held by Europe at almost 30 percent, then followed by Asia (with the exception of Japan) and North America.

The income of the private security services industry was set to reach an estimate of about 25 billion U.S. dollars in the United States in 2014 alone. Security alarm services alone in the United States of America generated a whooping $17 billion U.S. dollars per year between 2008 and 2014.

The money generated by the global security technology and related services market rose just over $67 billion U.S. dollars and was projected to reach an estimate of about 86 billion by the year 2016. Statistics also show that the global spending on ICT related security services exceeded $50 billion U.S. dollars in 2016.

It is no wonder that the private security industry is one industry that is growing despite the fact that the government of various countries are not relenting when it comes to providing security for their citizens. One thing is certain, the private security industry is an evolving one and new technology and approaches are being employed when it comes to delivering standard and safer security services.

Today's analytics applications are being adopted by an astonishing range of global organizations to make better business decisions. Retailers are using video data for heat mapping , a process that captures hot spots, idle locations and bottlenecks within stores as well as monitoring other aspects of shopper behavior to improve store layouts, customize marketing promotions, and increase sales.

Logistics companies use video to track cargo through ports to improve efficiency. In manufacturing, video-based data is combined with other information, such as input from sensor technology like RFID, to track product flow and improve operational efficiencies in logistics and manufacturing. By using video-based data to improve business, companies will reap real business value, shifting the expense of their surveillance solution from a cost center to an investment. To realize this kind of value, data must be kept for a long time. That will require a storage infrastructure that offers both performance and costeffective, long-term data retention.

The adoption of cameras with higher resolutions, wider panoramas and more sensors has continued in 2017.

There is a global rise in expectation for more sophisticated camera capabilities including compression, streaming, storage and analytics which will be bundled into cameras for improved value.

The rising tide of data and improved camera intelligence will strain storage and make an efficient multitier storage strategy more vital than ever. Embedded sensor technology will enable cities to become smarter and more attractive. In advanced economies, vehicle and pedestrian traffic is going to be more aggressively captured and integrated with sensor input from trains, buses, and subways to cut congestion. Parking facilities can also be monitored and the video combined with input from smart meters to reduce bottlenecks and to improve consumer satisfaction.

Video data is becoming one data set among many as “smart” devices become more prevalent and analytics are able to process the aggregated data. As applications mature, the potential for improving public safety through

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the intelligent use of technology is high. Consolidation and integration are keys to unlocking the future potential, making data storage infrastructure a more important consideration. Law enforcement agencies already need to cope with collecting information from various systems such as dash cams, body cams, interview room cams, sally port devices and aggregate the content. In 2017, security agencies in many parts of the developed world made a priority out of simplifying the collection and storage of data while protecting chain-of-evidence requirements.

This is set to grow to encompass public and private agencies to drive coordinated action from multiple partners to include content from systems such as secure parking areas and city properties.

The uptake of many of these security devices on the African continent has been slow, however, many companies and tech savvy individuals are seeing the value of added security that also included business analytics capabilities. In many regions in Africa, the threat of terrorism and increased crime has necessitated individuals, companies and government agencies to provide better surveillance for their assets.

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CEO Mag: Can you comment about your success as a woman, in a male dominated industry.

CC: Hard work and determination, consistency are key values to success. I believe our steps are ordered by God. It is also importance to clearly understanding one's own life given purposes and life's mission . This has helped me get to where I am now as an entrepreneur. God is the foundation of my success and I am grateful for the teaching and principles given to me through our church.

Professionally, I attribute my success to offering innovative software, implementing solutions that meet each customer's individual requirements and providing extensive technical after sales support, as well as training and a responsive , customer focused help desk.

CEO Mag: Why do we have so few women in Technology businesses in Zimbabwe ?

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CC: This is a global issue. We need to fill the pipeline with more talented young women from a young age. This is where we have the opportunity to make the greatest longterm impact. Part of the problem that we have is the lack of technology education options at primary school level, and part of it is STEM's image problem with girls. We need to change the perception of science and math as masculine fields by providing girls with female role models, and giving them hands-on experience with different kinds of technology. STEM education is about more than just leveling the playing field for women. There simply aren't enough men to fill the growing workforce. So, the tech industry actually needs women, but the question is, will we all do what is necessary to win girls and young women over to science and technology? Change is coming though, however slow it might be. Globally there are a lot more women in technology industry today than ever before. In Zimbabwe, the numbers are g rowing and the government's STEM programs will soon produce fruit.

CEO Mag: What advice can you give to your fellow CEOs about starting a tech company

CC: The people who will change the ratio for women in technology companies will be us women. It's time for us to be the solution we have been looking for. While men can collaborate with us as partners, co-founders, investors and family members, they will not be our saviors. If you are an entrepreneur, an investor, an engineer, a coder, a mother with a daughter, a teacher in STEM or a woman who wants to change the status quo, join me and the thousands of girls and women in Tech who need your support, by supporting, helping, mentoring and investing in women in tech. \\\ THECEO

We need to change the perception of science and math as masculine fields by providing girls with female role models, and giving them hands-on experience with different kinds of technology.

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10 lessons from Sara Blakely founder of Spanx that you wont hear in Business school

Here are the top 10 lessons I learned from Sara's journey from fax machine saleswoman to entrepreneurial superstar: Ÿ Fail Big Sara's beloved father followed Wayne Dyer's guidance in teaching his children the power of failing big. Each day, her father would ask – “So, what did you fail at today.” And if there were no failures, Dad would be disappointed.

Focusing on failing big allowed Sara to understand that failure is not an outcome, but involves a lack of trying -- not stretching yourself far enough out of your comfort zone and attempting to be more than you were the day before.

Failing big was a good thing.

Visualize it – Sara is a big fan of “visualizing” your big goal, in specific, concrete ways.

She saw herself clearly on the Oprah TV show 15 years before it happened.

She simply knew it would happen. She'd see in her mind's eye sitting on the couch with Oprah having an exciting conversation, and wondered, “What are we talking about?” The rest was just “filling in the blanks” to get there. Ÿ

Don't share your fragile idea with the world too soon.

Sara kept her idea of making a fabulous new undergarment for women under wraps for an entire year while working on developing the prototype. Only after she was 100% committed to it and ready to launch, did she sit her friends down and explain her new direction. Sara explains that ideas are vulnerable, fragile things. Wait until you're completely read to move forward before you share it with people. Meaning well, they'll shoot it down, offering all the reasons why it won't work. But when they do, you'll be ready to deal with it. Ÿ

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Ÿ Don't take no for an answer.

Sara reached out to slews of manufacturers and lawyers to help her patent her idea and create a successful prototype. In every conversation she had with potential manufacturers, she was asked three questions: 1) Who are you? 2) Who are you with? 3) and Who is backing you? When the answers to these three questions remained, “Sara Blakely,” no one wanted to take a chance on her, until one manufacturer called her back and said “OK.” Why? Because he had gone home and told his daughters about the idea, and they said, “It's brilliant!”

Hire people you like and trust (even if they don't know a great deal about what you need them to do).

Sara hired a head of Product Development and a PR director who had been friends and supporters from the beginning. Neither knew anything about the functional areas they were hired to oversee, but Sara trusted they'd be fabulous at their new roles, and they were. Ÿ

Ÿ You don't have to go in order.

Sara's passionate commitment to her new Spanx product was so fierce, she just tackled each task in the development and marketing journey as they came up, not necessarily in the best order for a smooth launch. She landed a Neiman Marcus deal involving placement of the product in seven stores, before figuring out how to mass produce “crotches” for the product. The Oprah show called to do a feature on her in a staff meeting in her “offices” before she had an office or a staff. She winged it, and it all went well.

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Ÿ You CAN figure it out – you have the ability.

Sara knew absolutely nothing about women's undergarments, patenting a new product, manufacturing, marketing, product development, website development, online commerce, and more.

But that didn't stop her. She researched what she needed to, hired out what she couldn't do, and marched forward with undying commitment and energy. Don't stop yourself from pursuing an idea because you don't think you have what it takes.

You can build a billion dollar business starting with $5,000.

Sara had only $5,000 in savings on that fateful day when she cut the feet off of her stockings in order to wear them under her white pants for a more flattering look (and thus, realized the world needed a new undergarment product that would be comfortable yet flattering to the female form). From that $5,000 she embarked on designing a prototype, securing a manufacturer, naming the product, legally protecting her product, and getting the word out to potential buyers. You don't have to be rich to move forward with your fabulous new idea. Ÿ

Don't worry about the outer “stuff ” until the time is right.

Sara worked tirelessly from her apartment creating her product, avoiding investing in outside office space or other marketing and business tools until the product had taken off. She didn't have a formal website until she made it on the Oprah show and needed one. Anything that wasn't essential to building the product and getting the name out there simply wasn't a priority. Ÿ

Ÿ Breaking the mold is a good thing.

When Sara began to research undergarments for women and how they'd been made for the last 50 years, she was astonished.

From the absurd sizing protocols (only one average waist measure was used on all the products, regardless of the size of the garment), to how products were tested (on manikins not real people), Sara saw that the undergarment industry needed a female perspective – insights from a real woman wearing these items to shape the product development direction so the products were useful, effective, and as comfortable as possible. She broke the mold, and developed a completely new approach to developing women's undergarments.

Sara's most important tip: “Believe in your idea, trust your instincts, and don't be afraid to fail. It took me two years from the time I had the idea for Spanx until the time I had a product in hand ready to sell into stores. I must have heard the word “no” a thousand times. If you believe in your idea 100%, don't let anyone stop you! Not being afraid to fail is a key part of the success of Spanx.”

In the end, Sara Blakely's story shows us what's possible when we believe, when we're resourceful beyond measure, and when our passion and commitment to something outside ourselves brings us to a calling.

What are you most afraid of failing at? Will you get in the cage with your fears and take a step toward your dream today? \\\ THECEO

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Zimbabwe Economy and Survival Strategies for 2018

by Kenneth Ndlovu, Economic Analyst “IT'S a complete system collapse.” Those are the words out of most people in the streets of Harare. There is a general feeling that things are heading for the worst, and that the root cause of the problem emanates from the currency shortage that has taken the country by storm.

The balances stored in people's bank accounts has a new nickname, “Zollars”, with “Z” for zero. But what has been, or is the real problem behind all this?

In this article, I am going to describe some of the problems the economy is currently facing, not painting a sorry picture overall, even though we are much closer to that. I will then take time to educate the readers about some few practices that can be of greater help going into 2018, both for individuals and SMEs, if there is any. The choice between individuals and SMEs has been influenced by what the economy currently looks like, where individuals play a greater role in controlling consumers' behavior allround and SMEs having taken their contribution to the country's GDP a notch higher, notwithstanding figures being lost to black market operations.

The “Zollar” moniker, how far true does it apply?

Nicknames are indeed earned and always come in line with one's behavioral patterns. The US Dollar balances have earned the nickname “Zollars” in Zimbabwe, supposing to mean that a $100 balance in your account, as an example, could actually be worth $80 or less, depending on the platform you opt, or are forced to access your balance in hard cash.

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The question now is how far true is the above statement?

Well, this is more of a question of proving the allegation than actually trying to explain it. I will do so by giving an example. If someone is paid a certain amount in US Dollars into his bank account, the money, officially, is equal to 100 bond notes. But where people buy different items, the price you pay with bond notes has a premium attached to it than when paying with US Dollars. This is called the “Bond Premium” here. Premiums when buying are much lesser than the premiums they charge for you to access the money through other channels like Ecocash.

These will go to over 30%, which takes away a $30 value from your every $100. Exporters, including SMEs, have no choice but to also buy US Dollars from the black market in order to go pay for their external obligations, this is also done at a premium.

All these premiums find a way back into the path of consumers who then carry the burden on behalf of their suppliers, based on that, employees in Zimbabwe are potentially earning 30% of their salary in real terms. This then underlines the major problem dampening growth and survival prospects in the country.

Another challenge that has hit the country hard is failure to access industrial inputs to enhance production.

Shortage of raw materials has had a downward effect on capacity utilization, leading to restricted output from local industries. This is a scarcity problem which fuels demand of the products available. Going deeper with this scarcity

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problem would require a full-length article on its own, but for now, let us look at the problems this drags to the consumers' doorsteps.

Consequential inflation This really is the major problem consumers are facing right now, combined with cash shortages. Now that we have two items in high demand, US Dollars and a few locally produced goods, we have an inflation problem to deal with. This inflation will be in the form of a two-end inflation adjustment where the US Dollar appreciates in value, because of high demand of the currency itself, and locally produced goods appreciate in value because of high demand on the local front and the cost of accessing US Dollars to import raw materials.

When there is inflation, it becomes hard for households to carry on their usual business without breaking a neck.

What can then be done to circumvent such scenarios?

1. Hoarding money is definitely not the solution. This is just another way of sabotaging the economy. Imagine if 100 000 households each hide $5000 in their homes for the fear of the unknown. The economy would have lost $500 million and businesses will struggle to make payments and other individuals will struggle to access their money. The best way to help oneself is to provide an income earning service to the people, and keep that working for as long as you can. It is called income generation. This is where SMEs come in.

2. The country right now feels like a trap, true. This comes on the back of the few banks which allowed international transactions on their debit cards setting restrictions on their Visa and Mastercard facilities. So, it is now almost impossible to access your money in and outside Zimbabwe. Thus, it really spells a near impossible scenario in the near future. So, when thinking of solutions to truly survive, one has no option but to prepare for the slimmest survival chances which will include severely adjusting your style of living and consumption patterns.

3. Since there will be no hard cash in the economy for the foreseeable future, it is always wise for one to consider how much he or she will give away in premiums and unnecessary bank charges, seeing how expensive it is to make a single transaction using Zimbabwe's banks. You should avoid sending your money through to different platforms, for example banks and mobile money services, you would rather make all your transactions from a single platform and save close to $100, depending on how often you move the money. This, however, will be difficult to follow given that not all banks have joined the popular mobile money platforms.

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4. The obvious solution to Zimbabwe's problems is always to fix the political problem that has affected the nation for a long time now. We have slowly been squeezed of all the blood left in our veins and now the implosion is just inevitable as the sources of US Dollars are slowly drying up. This is so given how much exporting companies will struggle now to bring in much needed inputs to produce and earn US Dollars through their exports.

T h e o bv i o u s s o l u t i o n t o Zimbabwe's problems is always to fix the political problem that has affected the nation for a long time now.

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Remember in order to export something you need to produce it first, using inputs sourced from outside the country where no bank allows for international payments.

I can safely say hoarding of goods is going to begin as early as December and by the time we get to elections, the shops will be running low on stocks.

So, what if the problems are more political? Do we have to change the current leadership, through the ballot of course, or do we all run away and leave the country? I would say we change our approach to doing business, of course from a policy perspective, which is where the politics comes into play. This is possible seeing how much democracy has been making inroads in Africa. We have seen election results being nullified in Kenya and the President elect accepting that, in Zimbabwe our presidents will now have two terms in office. All these are positives to take home. The problem in Africa is we have been in the forefront of negatively painting our own continent out there, and that has attracted negative investments to most of our countries during the time when our industries need capital.

[ EXECUTIVEADVICE ] Having said the above, let me, conclude by writing this, investors usually invest based on just HYPE. Come to think of it, people read, gain interest and want to explore, does East Africa come to your mind here. They ask a few questions and if it makes sense, they commit a few millions to one or two projects. In Zimbabwe we have killed all the hype and as long as it stays dead, or as long as the negative hype stays alive, we will not see our industries come to life, because that is all we need for the cash and unemployment problems to go.

Industries need fresh capital to rise again, but the FDIs don't go where there is no hype or positive prospects, because in the end they will want profits out of their investments.

So where to from here? We need to destroy two things for sure, first, the negativity attached to the country at present and second, to promote the savings and investment culture amongst our own citizens. As in surviving the wrath that the economy is going to throw at us in 2018, for it is coming, consumers should avoid unnecessary costs by all means and make sure to stick to one platform where you access your money and transact from. SMEs should try hard to source inputs from one another, where one produces what is needed by the other one to minimize high dependency on imported raw materials.

Kenneth Ndlovu, is an Independent , Economic analyst

\\\ THECEO

COBRA SECURITY (PVT) LIMITED

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Driven by a strong desire to achieve op mum excellence through: Ÿ High efficiency, Professionalism, Innova ve security solu ons that are supported by the latest global security technology, Affordable Rates and Personalised tailor-made services to suit your unique requirements Cobra Security, one of the Market leaders in Security Services provides: CCTVs, Intruder Alarm System, Intra-red overnight surveillance, Vehicle Tracking Vehicle Alarm Systems, Cash in transit, Armed and unarmed uniformed guard services, Plain clothes security, Under cover security services/private inves ga ons, Guard dog services, Wage packaging and pay out

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LEADERSHIP THE ART OF PLATE SPINNING SENIOR executives will better balance people and priorities by embracing the paradoxes of organizational life.

Often ask business leaders three simple questions. What are your company's ten most exciting value-creation opportunities? Who are your ten best people? How many of your ten best people are working on your ten most exciting opportunities? It's a rough and ready exercise, to be sure. But the answer to the last question—typically, no more than six—is usually expressed with ill-disguised frustration that demonstrates how difficult it is for senior executives to achieve organizational alignment.

What makes this problem particularly challenging is a number of paradoxes, many of them rooted in the eccentricity and unpredictability of human behavior, about how organizations really tick. Appealing as it is to believe that the workplace is economically rational, in reality it is not. As my colleague Scott Keller and I explained in our 2011 book, Beyond Performance,1 a decade's worth of data derived from more than 700 companies strongly suggests that the rational way to achieve superior performance—focusing on its financial and operational manifestations by pursuing multiple short-term revenuegenerating initiatives and meeting tough individual targets—may not be the most effective one.

Rather, our research shows that the most successful organizations, over the long term, consistently focus on “enabling” things (leadership, purpose, employee motivation) whose immediate benefits aren't always clear. These healthy organizations, as we call them, are internally aligned around a clear vision and

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strategy; can execute to a high quality thanks to strong capabilities, management processes, and employee motivation; and renew themselves more effectively than their rivals do. In short, health today drives performance tomorrow.

Many CEOs instinctively understand the paradox of performance and health, though few have expressed or acted upon it better than John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Foods. “We have not achieved our tremendous increase in shareholder value,” he once observed, “by making shareholder value the only purpose of our business.”

In this article, I want to focus on three other paradoxes that, in my experience, are both particularly striking and quite difficult to reconcile. The first is that change comes about more easily and more quickly in organizations that keep some things stable. The second is that organizations are more likely to succeed if they simultaneously control and empower their employees. And the third is that business cultures that rightly encourage consistency (say, in the quality of services and products) must also allow for the sort of variability—and even failure—that goes with innovation and experimentation.

Coming to grips with these paradoxes will be invaluable for executives trying to keep their people and priorities in balance at a time when cultural and leadership change sometimes seems an existential imperative. Just as a circus performer deftly spins plates or bowls to keep them moving and upright, so must senior executives constantly intervene to encourage the sorts of behavior that align an organization with its top priorities.

Change and stability Organizational change, obviously, is often imperative in response to emerging customer demands, new regulations, and fresh

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competitive threats. But constant or sudden change is unsettling and destabilizing for companies and individuals alike. Just as human beings tend to freeze when confronted with too many new things in their lives—a divorce, a house move, and a change of job, for example—so will organizations overwhelmed by change resist and frustrate transformation-minded chief executives set on radically overturning the established order. Burning platforms grab attention but do little to motivate creativity. Paradoxically, therefore, change leaders should try to promote a sense of stability at their company's core and, where possible, make changes seem relatively small, incremental, or even peripheral, while cumulatively achieving the transformation needed to drive high performance.

A large universal bank provides a case in point. Given the tumult in the financial-services sector in recent years, it needs to change, and change profoundly. But the cry of “let's change everything” will be counterproductive in an organization where staff members are mostly hard-working, committed people operating processes that involve millions of transactions per hour.

One large automotive company I'm familiar with, buffeted by three different owners and five different CEOs in the last decade, has recently embraced this paradox with a new management model dubbed “balance,” a word loaded with meaning in the automotive industry because of its association with reducing drag and increasing speed.

The simple idea behind the model is that any changes to a company's systems, structures, and processes should always be introduced in a consistent way, typically quarterly, as part of an explicit change package. If a proposed change isn't ready in time for one of these regular releases, it is either deferred to the next one or abandoned.

Previously, leaders of each of the company's functions had been inclined to introduce, on their own, changes they thought might generate value—for example, finance would launch a program to make costs variable, HR would announce an initiative to shake up p e r fo r m a n c e m a n a g e m e n t a n d c o m p e n s at i o n , a n d manufacturing would bring in new vendor-management systems.

Hapless middle managers found themselves in a blizzard of change that made it difficult to focus on the organization's top priorities. Now, before change programs are rolled out more broadly, all of them are integrated, and the resulting complexities are addressed at the top of the organization.

In this way, the company's underlying operating model has remained more stable than it would otherwise have been, and more stable than it used to be when changes were announced in an uncoordinated fashion. Managers now understand and accept the rhythm of change, while managers and employees alike have gained new confidence that the different elements in the releases will be complementary and coherent.

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The result is that a well-intentioned but disjointed flow of unending change has been converted into a well-structured one.

Moreover, after years of lagging behind industry peers, the company has shortened its product-development cycles and increased the quality of its products. And it is running much more smoothly, with 20 percent fewer managers.

Control and empowerment All organizations need at least a thread of control to link those who own the business to those charged with implementing its objectives. Companies that neglect mechanisms that enforce discipline, common standards, or compliance with external regulation do so at their peril. The share price of one global energy group, for example, collapsed when it came to light that poor oversight had allowed internal analysts to develop metrics based on optimistic assumptions and to overstate the company's oil and gas reserves substantially.

Yet excessive control, paradoxically, tends to drive dysfunctional behavior, to undermine people's sense of purpose, and to harm motivation by hemming employees into a corporate straitjacket.

The trick for the CEO-cum-plate-spinner is to get the balance right in light of shifting corporate and market contexts.

In general, a company will probably need more control when it must actually change direction and more empowerment when it is set on the new course.

The story of how a major global technology company recovered from a crisis four years ago is instructive. Forced to write off more than $2 billion of unmanageable contracts—and facing insolvency—a new management team took drastic and decisive action to strip out costs, renegotiate old agreements, change established practices, and impose stringent new controls. The company (with more than 100,000 employees) was saved but in the process found that it had lost the ability to deliver on its top priority: creative new ideas that would fuel organic growth. That's because an unintended consequence of the much-needed cost

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reductions had been the emergence of a “parent–child” relationship between the company's top team and middle managers. These managers had become so used to being told what to do, and had been given so little room to maneuver, that they eventually lost the ability to experiment. The “tree” of top management had grown so large that nothing could grow in its shade.

This company's solution was to introduce an “envelope” leadership approach, which first involved defining a set of borders. Employees could not go beyond them, but within them there was almost complete freedom to innovate and grow. Other businesses have attempted to copy the envelope idea but few have had the success of this global technology company, whose approach had real teeth. The flame of empowerment was fanned by first identifying some 600 leaders with the best capabilities and then rotating them around different businesses, with a mandate to shake things up. Meanwhile, the company's purpose, vision, mission, and values were all rewritten and drilled into leaders. Its “signature processes” (five core ones, where it aspired to be truly differentiated) were fundamentally reimagined. And evaluation and reward mechanisms were dramatically tightened to reward stars and actively manage people who seemed to be struggling. As the company added a greater degree of empowerment to the stricter controls—plates both balanced and spinning—its performance improved. Sales are growing again, and fresh energy is palpable throughout the organization.

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complex bundle of assurance, governance, and controls. Fear of failure and an obsession with getting these things right produced defensive 100-page PowerPoint presentations in abundance, but little meaningful product-development progress.

Behavioral problems didn't help, of course. An excessive “telling” rather than “listening” culture had degenerated into bullying; some senior executives literally shouted at their underlings. On one notorious “away day,” a number of exercises revolved around cage fighting, a sport (dubbed “human cockfighting”) that combines boxing, wrestling, and martial arts. The signal this sent from the top was that the culture really was dog eat dog.

Things came to a head when two scientists, frustrated by the time needed to get approvals, left to set up their own successful research business and were openly lauded by colleagues for breaking free of a stifling bureaucracy and dictatorial culture. The morale of those left behind suffered further, and energy drained out of the organization.

Consistency and variability Producing high-quality products and delivering them to customers on time and with the same level of consistency at every point in the value chain is critical to success in most industries.

Variability is wasteful and time consuming, not to mention potentially alienating for customers. Most organizations therefore applaud behavior that attacks and eliminates it.

Yet in human terms, consistency too often hardens into rigid mind-sets characterized by fear of personal and organizational failure. It's been shown that we feel the pain of failure twice as much as we do the joy of success, so employees naturally tend to protect themselves and their teams, behavior that can inadvertently hamper innovation and calculated risk taking. After all, mistakes—from Edison's countless failed filaments to 3M's accidental creation of the adhesive behind Post-it notes—can sometimes be the mother of invention; as they say in the mountains, “If you're not falling, you're not skiing.”

It's hard to think of a sector where it's more important to get the balance between consistency and variability right than it is in pharmaceuticals. Lives are at stake, and the development and launch costs of a new compound often run to billions of dollars.

Faced with the approaching expiration of many licenses, one of the world's biggest pharma companies found that its tradition of reliability and consistency had become a limiting mind-set.

Although it desperately needed to make new discoveries, a status quo bias took hold of the organization, which froze around a

The solution the company devised combined building “slack” (additional people) into its resourcing a bold move in austere times—with a direct attack on negative behavior. The worst offenders were removed, and it was made clear that cage-fighting attitudes were unacceptable.

Steps were taken to bump up the innovation rate by investing in smart people, but the top team went further. It set out fundamentally to alter what it called the organization's “social architecture” by building worldwide communities of scientists and encouraging exchanges between them across geographical boundaries and industry disciplines.

Successful experiments, to be sure, were more highly valued than failures, but both had their place in the company's culture. An emphasis in communications on “our wealth of ideas” promoted the simple notion that wealth (economic progress) arises from ideas (experimentation and innovation) and showed how carefully crafted language can help drive change. The result was an increase in the pipeline of products and, over time, a resumption of profit growth.

Embracing the paradoxes described in this article can be uncomfortable: it's counterintuitive to stimulate change by grounding it in sources of reassuring stability or to focus on boundaries and control when a company wants to stir up new ideas. Yet the act of trying to reconcile these tensions helps leaders keep their eyes on all their spinning plates and identify when interventions are needed to keep the organization lined up with its top priorities. Last, this approach makes it possible to avoid the frustration of many executives I've encountered, who pick an extreme: either they try to stifle complex behavior by building powerful and rigid top-down structures, or they express puzzlement and disappointment when looser, more laissez-faire styles of management expose the messy realities of human endeavor. Far more centered and high performing, in my experience, are those leaders who welcome the inconvenient contradictions of organizational life.

About the author | Colin Price is a director in McKinsey's London office. \\\ THECEO

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Competition is Good for Your Business HAVE you ever thought that marketing your business would be easier without competitors? The truth is that most of us have thought that way. Whilst you shouldn't be fixated on your competitors, you can't afford to ignore them. When there are plenty of jobs and business to go around we tend to get complacent and fail to do the things we need to do to stay competitive. We tend to take customers and employers for granted. Customer service drops off and innovation goes by the wayside.

1. It Makes Your Customer Service Better When you're on the treadmill of a business boom there simply isn't enough time in a day to stop and really evaluate every single customer. While others are getting all the customers, you have ample time to evaluate and appreciate every customer. Make customers fall in love with you and treat them right. Then when competition comes along they won't even think of going anywhere else.

2. Innovation Is Fostered Innovation is important to you and your company because competition makes you constantly innovate. When your business is number one or the only one, innovation tends to be ignored.

Innovation is incredibly important and is woven into the fabric of what great businesses do.

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3. Identifies Your Strengths and Weaknesses You may not always know what your strengths and weaknesses are until your competition points it out. Competition helps narrow your focus a little and concentrate on what you're really good at that your competition isn't.

4.Competition is good For Consumers Competition is not only good for your business, it's good for consumers. This is so because consumers get the opportunity to pick and choose who gets their money, time and attention.

5. Reminds You to Focus on Your Key Customers Competition reminds you every now and then to focus on your key customers. After all, they are the reason why there is more cash inflow. By focusing on them you also come up with ways to serve them better.

6. Provides the Opportunity to Serve Indeed when you have various customers you have a huge task to always serve. Competition makes it very mandatory to keep serving and seeking new ways to serve your customers.

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7. Makes Way for Creative Thinking Because you have a mandate to always give your clients a run for their money, competition makes you to put on your thinking cap for better ways to add value. Creative thinking forms the bedrock of any success-minded brand.

8. Helps identify potential threats to your business You are able to learn from other competitors what works and what doesn't. By learning this you will be able to decipher what plans and strategies or even products would be detrimental to your business.

9. Helps Your Strength and Weaknesses You are enabled to study your strengths and weaknesses. Your weaknesses help you become better, while your strength drives you harder to achieve more.

10.Stops complacency Competition automatically pushes you out of your comfort zone because of the quest to serve better. Leaving your comfort zone also helps you to strive to beat the records of your competitors.

11.Consumers benefit from competition When there is competition amongst brands, consumers benefit from through the promotions or other good things that could capture the consumers.

12. Helps Grow Your Business and Market Strong competition can actually help your business because they keep you on your toes. They also provide valuable market insight, and force you to keep your product strategies fresh.

13. Provides an alternative for customers who are not a good fit for your business There are very difficult customers whom you just cannot please.

Trying to fit them into your plan could end up frustrating; so you have the choice of leaving such customers to your counterparts to deal with.

Strong competition can actually help your business because they keep you on your toes. They also provide valuable market insight, and force you to keep your product strategies fresh.

14.Provides ideas you can adapt for your products or services You can learn from what your competitors have put in place to adjust your plan. You are also able to draw inferences from the way they run their businesses, plus their products and services.

15.Allows for working together on common industry or market issues When a brand isn't monopolized, there is the ability to form a regulating body in that industry. This is so important because this body is able to serve as watch dog for those who might be defaulting in certain areas.

16. Helps You Work Smarter You cannot afford to work at a snail rate when you are in competition. When there is competition you must be up and doing and to speed at all times.

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17. Makes You Seek Knowledge Voraciously When in competition one of the ways to always come out tops is reading and researching voraciously. When you read and research widely you will be abreast with issues.

18. It Gives Room for Learning Learning new things from your counterparts is a sure banker. You would learn to broaden your horizon and at the same time add to the growth of your brand.

19. It Improves Your Employees There is always something new to learn in an industry full of competition. Your employees have a whole lot of experiences to learn from. Experiences like; how to handle customers when there is business boom and how to deal with situations when your competitors have more customers than you do.

20. Ability for Development All the experiences you garner during this period, becomes a good raw material to help develop your brand. Check the track records of bigger brands; you will see that they put to good use all the experiences they experienced. Kill that paranoia and begin to glide through your competition rather than feel upbeat. The very moment you become scared of competition and not take advantage of it, you give room for failure to set in.

Failure can never get your brand anywhere. Look up with hope and face your competitors. \\\ THECEO

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WHY SENIOR LEADERS ARE THE FRONT LINE AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS

ALL companies are aware of the growing risk of cyber attacks, yet few are taking the steps necessary to protect critical information. The key? Senior managers need to lead.

Why isn't more being done to protect critical information assets? Senior executives understand that the global economy is still not sufficiently protected against cyber attacks, despite years of effort and annual spending of tens of billions of dollars. They understand that risk alone undermines trust and confidence in the digital economy, reducing its potential value by

as much as $3 trillion by 2020.1 They understand most institutions have technology- and compliance-centric cyber security models that don't scale, l i m i t i n n ov a t i o n , a n d p r ov i d e insufficient protection. And they understand that institutions need to develop much more insight into the risks they face, implement differential protection for their most important assets, build security into broader IT environments, leverage analytics to assess emerging threats, improve incident response, and enlist frontline user s as stewards of important information.

The importance of cyber security is no secret to anyone who's opened a newspaper or attended a board meeting. So, senior executives may ask, what's the holdup? The answer is simple: understanding the issue is quite different from effectively addressing it.

A number of structural and organizational issues complicate the process of implementing businessdriven, risk-management-oriented cybersecurity operating models, and only sustained support from senior management can ensure progress and u l t i m at e l y m i t i g at e t h e r i s k o f cyberattacks.

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consumer services that may not be secure? Breaking through the noise at most institutions to communicate with frontline managers about cybersecurity risks is tough enough, let alone mitigating risks that are ostensibly beyond your control.

Senior managers must lead Cybersecurity is a CEO-level issue. The risks of cyberattacks span functions and bu s i n e s s u n i t s, c o m p a n i e s a n d customers. And given the stakes and the challenging decisions posed by becoming cyber-resilient, making the decisions necessary can only be achieved with active engagement from the CEO and other members of the senior-management team.

Structural hurdles to addressing cybersecurity There are a number of factors that make getting the right cybersecurity capabilities in place difficult for large i n s t i t u t i o n s. F i r s t , c o m p e t i t i ve imperatives mean executives must accept a certain level of cyberattack risk. As a chief information-security officer (CISO) at an investment bank said, “If I did as thorough a security assessment as I would like before we nailed up a direct connection to a hedge fund, our prime-brokerage business would cease to exist.” What this means is that in order to protect themselves without limiting their ability to innovate, companies have to make sophisticated trade-offs between risks and customer expectations.

Third, cybersecurity risk is difficult to quantify. There's no single quantitative metric such as value at risk for cybersecurity, making it much harder to communicate the urgency to senior managers and engage them in required decisions. As one chief financial officer told us, “It feels like we're constantly spending more on security, but I have no idea whether that's enough or even what it does.”

So what does senior management need to do? Among those companies that are making the most progress toward d e ve l o p i n g c y b e r r e s i l i e n c y, w e identified four actions common among senior managers:

Second, the implications of cybersecurity are pervasive—and that alone impedes the adoption of riskmitigation strategies. Cybersecurity touches every business process and function, not only in operations but also in customer care, marketing, product development, procurement, human resources, and

Finally, it's hard to change user behavior. For many institutions, the biggest vulnerability lies not with the company but with its customers. How do you prevent users from clicking on the wrong link, allowing their machines to be infected with malware? How do you stop them from transferring incredibly sensitive information to

Actively engaging in strategic decision making. Just as with other types of enterprise risk, CEOs and the rest of the senior-management team must provide input on the organization's overall level of risk appetite for loss of intellectual property, disclosure of customer information, and disruption of business operations. Subsequent to that,

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public affairs. Just two examples: product-development decisions often increase the volume of sensitive customer data that is collected, while procurement decisions can create the risk that vendors will treat sensitive intellectual property with less care than required.

As part of research we undertook with the World Economic Forum on cybersecurity, we had the opportunity to interview executives from more than 200 institutions and perform deep dives on cybersecurity risk-management practices with more than 60 of the world's 500 largest companies. Seniormanagement time and attention was identified as the single biggest driver of maturity in managing cybersecurity risks—more important than company size, sector, and resources provided.

Our research also found that seniormanagement engagement varies dramatically. In some companies, the CISO meets the CEO every few weeks.

Yet in others, the CISO has never met the CEO. In fact, the CISO may report to the chief technology officer, who reports to the chief information officer, who then reports to the CFO.

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bu s i n e s s - u n i t h e a d s — a n d t h e i r management teams—must engage with cybersecurity managers to help prioritize information assets and make specific trade-of fs between risk reduction and operational impact.

Driving consideration of cybersecurity implications across business functions.

Senior managers at leading companies ensure business managers incorporate cybersecurity considerations into product, customer, and location decisions, while functional leaders are responsible for addressing cybersecurity considerations in human-resources and procurement decisions. In addition, they make sure that the disclosure of

cybersecurity priorities is incorporated into the company's public-affairs agenda.

Pushing changes in user behavior.

Given how much sensitive data senior managers interact with, they have the chance to change and model their own behavior for the next level of managers.

This can begin with simple steps, such as becoming more judicious about forwarding documents from corporate to personal e-mail accounts. In addition, senior management can and should provide the communications “airtime” and reinforcement required to help frontline employees understand what they need to do to protect critical information assets.

Ensuring effective governance and reporting is in place. No matter how thoughtful a set of cybersecurity policies and controls may be, some managers will seek to circumvent them.

Senior management obviously needs to make sure that policies and controls make sense from a business standpoint.

If they do, senior managers then need to backstop the cybersecurity team to help with enforcement. In addition, senior management should put in place effective, granular reporting on how the company is progressing against specific milestones in its cybersecurity program.

Pervasive digitization, open and interconnected technology environments, and sophisticated attackers make cybersecurity a critical social and business issue. If inadequately addressed, it could materially slow the pace of technology and business innovation in the years to come. That's why companies must make rapid progress toward cyberresiliency, and only sustained focus and support from top management can overcome myriad structural and organizational hurdles. We know it's possible—at some companies, this process is already under way. But it must take place on a broader scale if companies are to protect their critical information assets while retaining the ability to innovate and grow.

By Tucker Bailey, James Kaplan, and Chris Rezek \\\ THECEO

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AFRICAN BUSINESS LEADERS SHARE THE BEST ADVICE THEY'VE EVER RECEIVED

2. Julian Kyula, Founder and CEO, MODE Don't ever ask anyone in your organisation to do something that you yourself are not willing to do. I have done many jobs. I have been a waiter, I have been a driver [and] I was rejected as a security guard somewhere in my life. My point is, I'm very aware of what our janitor goes through, what our drivers go through and what our executives go through. I'm not going to refuse to clean up my floor if I see dirt because there is a janitor. I will do it.

The person who gave me this piece of advice made me understand that a leader is not a boss.

The second most important thing I was advised is to rather have someone who is available and doesn't know [it all], than to have somebody who knows it all but is never available. If you are available and willing to learn we are going to spend the resources and time to train you

1. Chris Folayan, CEO, MallforAfrica The best advice ever is to, “Always be willing to make mistakes because they are the ones that make you grow the fastest and learn the most in the shortest amount of time�.

When we first started MallforAfrica it was about door-todoor delivery. It was the only form of delivery we would do. I was so convinced that everyone would want their packages delivered to their homes. A friend of mine suggested that we try and have people pick up their items at his office, which was centrally located in Lagos, a big city in Nigeria. Within a week of announcing a pick-up location, orders went up, new customers joined, and I was blown away. What did I learn? Most people don't want to have to schedule a delivery window of eight hours as it's more convenient to have a location where you can pick up items.

Today, we have over 25 pick-up locations in Nigeria alone and over 80% of our orders go to pickup locations. I learned so much in such a short amount of time about perception and ease of collection of purchased items being so key to our success

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3. Clive Smith, CEO, Tsebo Solutions Group Do not take a job for money. Take a job that feeds your soul, your aspirations, and can help you grow while you are having fun. If you take a day, for example, you sleep for eight hours, you are at work for eight hours, you travel for a couple of hours, and you are with your family for three or four hours. The biggest part of your time awake is spent working, and your working career is the biggest part of your life. So you have to have fun.

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4. Akshay Shah, Managing Director, Silafrica The best advice I have ever received has to do with strategy alignment: ensuring that your business has a strategy, that everybody in your company knows about it and is aligned to it, and then putting in necessary priorities and systems to enable execution. It is important to be mindful of the fact that business must have a strategy and people must know that strategy. It can't be a strategy that exists only in my head.

5. AlonLits, General Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, Uber The best advice I have received is you should measure things based on the return on effort. What I mean is, what is the output for the amount of time dedicated to a specific task. I think that is how you should measure things.

Anything that you are doing that takes a lot of time but the value that you are getting out of it is not very high – you should relook that. [Look] at how can you make it more efficient, [or] how you can potentially automate

7. Dan Githua, CEO, Tuskys Somebody once told me that when I am trying to make a decision, I should go with 40% to 60% information. You shouldn't wait for 100% certainty because if you wait too long you will find someone else has seized the opportunity.

8. Frans van der Colff, Director, Fruit & Veg City Africa It probably is about understanding your customers, knowing who you are catering for, but it is also simultaneously treating the people that work for you as customers as well… If we treat our staff well, they will treat our customers well, and those are the people that make our business happen. So it works both ways, on both sides. If you don't treat the staff well, you won't have a successful business, as much as if you didn't treat your customers well

9. Jesse Moore, Managing Director, M-KOPA Work hard, enjoy what you are doing and everything will be okay. It's very simple and I didn't believe it for many years. I think there is truth to it [but] of course you have to make tough calls and things aren't always easy. I think we tend to worry too much about everything working out – but if you work hard, you enjoy what you are doing and you treat people well, the world is typically okay.

6. Raghu Malhotra, President Middle East & Africa, MasterCard A pharmaceutical company's CEO once told me “travel light”. At the beginning I took it literally – but the more and more I thought about it in a business context, the more I gained perspective. It means move fast, be agile and nimble, don't over analyse things and act quickly. This is a very valuable advice in the fast-paced and changing world we operate in

10. Saleh Nasreddin, Founder, NAS Foods, Ethiopia There was someone from Unilever who was consulting me on structural management in Nigeria when I was young.

He had a selection of people and they were very expensive.

So I expressed my concern about this. He told me: “If you pay peanuts you get monkeys. If you want good people, you pay well and the job will be done well.” And it is true.

The selection of people is very important. \\\ THECEO

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CEOs Explain How They GENDER-BALANCED THEIR BOARDS DESPITE more evidence about the benefits of the increasing the number women on boards (such as better decision making), and mounting pressure from the Government and Business Associations and Women's Empowerment Groups, the data suggest it will take many more years to have board parity in Zimbabwe. if we continue at the current rate.

This is where CEOs can help. Board appointments are highly influenced by CEOs, and they can do a better job of advocating for getting more women on the board. Fortunately, some are leading the way.

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In our interviews with CEOs who are thriving to successfully reached board parity we learnt about how they are doing it. We asked these “Champions” three simple questions: what are the benefits of board gender parity, why don't other CEOs take these steps, and how did you do it?

The Gender diversity Champions said that in their experience, most CEOs and board members fail to take the actions needed to increase gender diversity because of fear of change or risk of failure. This reminded us of the psychological concept of “regulatory focus,” which suggests people pursue

goals in one of two ways: people with a strong “promotion” focus are motivated by what they have to gain, while people with a strong “prevention” focus are motivated to protect what they might lose. Our interviews suggest that Gender Diversity Champions conveyed a strong “promotion focus,” and were motivated by their aspirations and desire for improvement; whereas CEOs who do not push for diversity on the board may reflect a “prevention focus.”

Fear of increasing board diversity makes sense when you consider research showing that demographically diverse boards are more likely to challenge the CEO; and that board

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members who are demographically similar to the CEO feel less comfortable sharing dissenting opinions toward the person who helped them gain their coveted seat. Indeed, a McKinsey survey of 692 directors and C-suite executives in 2014 showed that only 14% of them chose “a reputation for independent thinking” as a main criteria for appointing new directors, which suggests that many CEOs may not want dissenting opinions in the boardroom.

The interviewees also described how CEOs may fear appointing directors whom they don't know personally.

Many described concer ns about disrupting good relationships among board members by bringing in someone new or different.

This desire to appoint “known” or familiar board directors is reflected in the strong and consistent data showing that most new board members are recruited from the existing networks of current board members , networks that are likely composed of others of similar

r a c e, s e x , s o c i o - d e m o g r a p h i c , b e h av i o r a l , a n d i n t e r p e r s o n a l characteristics.

The CEOs also said that a major impediment to gender parity on the board is the focus on electing C-suitelevel board directors. According to a 2015 Spencer Stuart Study, boards strongly prefer to recruit active CEOs or COOs to join their ranks, with 65% of respondents expressing this preference.

CEOs reported that C-suite experience should not be a prerequisite for board directors. Although having 1-2 board members with C-suite experience was seen as a plus, CEOs noted that having all CEOs on the board would also represent a lack of diversity of thought.

Another obstacle to increasing diversity on boards, according to the CEOs we interviewed, was an over-reliance on the idea that boards must select “the best person for the job.” Baked into this assumption seemed to be the idea that recruiting women would mean lowering their standards. This is consistent with some research; for example, one study found that when organizations promote a culture that they define as a

meritocracy, there is actually greater bias against women. It seems that the notion of meritocracy has become synonymous with maintaining the status quo. But, as the interviewees noted, boards are certainly not selecting the best person for the job if they are only recruiting from their small, existing networks.

Some of the CEOs from the group also reported worrying that others would think the women chosen for their board were selected on the basis of their gender. One said, “I've always been a little reluctant to talk about women on the board because I don't want our board members to be known for their gender or diversity. I want them to be known for their skills. Our members weren't appointed because of their gender.”

Indeed, when women believe they are the beneficiaries of affirmative action it can hurt their self-esteem, making them think they are less competent than they would otherwise feel. This confirms the “stereotype threat” meaning that people are aware of stereotypes and

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therefore fear confir ming them.

But the truth is that having more women on the board is no risk. Nothing bad will happen, but some good things will happen: the individuals interviewed all mentioned reduced group think, better listening, and more enjoyable interactions as a result of having more women on the board. These benefits have been borne out in research as well.

Having more women board members can also create role models for talented women, result in promoting more women executives the subsequent year, and better financial performance.

The Gender Diversity Champions revealed that change is intentional, and other CEOs can do a number of things to move their boards toward gender parity.

First, take a promotion focus when it comes to diversity. Think about all of the benefits that a diversity of perspectives and experience could bring to the directors' table, rather than about

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the potential costs or risks. Emphasize this view to the board as well. And be proactive in extending your personal networks to include more women and minorities.

Second, look for major disruptions in the corporate board (e.g., mergers, going public, etc.) as an opportunity to increase women. Many of the Gender Diversity Champions talked about using these board disruptions as opportunities to make changes in the composition of their boards rather than maintaining the status quo and appointing more men. In the absence of major disruptions, CEOs might encourage annual reviews of board members as a way of removing stale board members and bringing in new perspectives.

Whether gathering candidates from recruitment fir ms or your own networks, be sure that you have at least two women on the finalist slate. When there is only one woman, she's likely to be viewed as a token, which can amplify

status quo bias and undercut her chance of being selected. When there are two women in the running, research shows the status quo bias seems to break down.

Some of the CEOs we talked to said this may not be enough; some went as far as to say that they would interview all of the women finalists before interviewing any of the men for an open board seat. They said that the status quo bias is so strong they said that if a man were interviewed first, the board would prefer to hire him over any of the women. Indeed, there is data showing that male board directors tend to be replaced with men.

Finally, it's worth noting that getting the first woman on the board is often the most difficult step; women may be reluctant to join an all-male board because they might fear how well they would be treated. But one women on the board opens new networks and could bring greater diversity to the board over time. These steps can help all CEOs become Gender Diversity Champions. \\\ THECEO

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Wise Tips Famous CEOs Would Give Their Younger Selves EVERY successful CEO has hit plenty of bumps on the road to the top. Despite the struggles, these top leaders have still managed to conquer challenges, shed their shortcomings, and grow both their skills and their net worth. They have made mistakes and learned from them.

We wondered what some of the wealthiest CEOs would tell their younger selves, and found eight gems worth passing on.

2. Find a job you love Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, one of the world's most successful investors with a net worth of $73 billion puts it in layman's terms: Take on a career that makes you excited to wake up in the morning.

"You follow your passions. You find something you love," said Buffett at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in 2014.

"The truth is, so few people really jump on their jobs, you really will stand out more than you think. You will get noticed if you really go for it." (See also: The 5 Best Pieces of Financial Wisdom From Warren Buffett)

1. Stay true to yourself Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, is working hard to grow the chain from 26,000 locations today to 37,000 by 2021, all while maintaining the brand's unique appeal. He has some big shoes to fill, after taking over from Starbucks' iconic leader Howard Schultz in April 2017. His guiding principle, as he told Business Insider: Be authentic. By acknowledging all aspects of your authentic self — shortcomings and counterproductive tendencies included — you allow yourself and the people around you to do their best work.

"It's important to be comfortable being authentic," Johnson said, adding, "Being authentic means you have to be vulnerable.”

3. Exceed expectations DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg's path to success was made by following this tip: Always give your best performance. And, if you can, outperform other people's expectations of your work."I don't think it matters how small or how big the task is," the Hollywood influencer, whose net worth is estimated at $750 million, famously said.

"If you can do it just a little bit better than what is expected, you will be noticed and rewarded.”

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7. Own up to your mistakes Dave Finocchio, CEO of Bleacher Report, would tell his younger self to admit his faults, act swiftly to correct them, and learn from them.

4. Embrace tough assignments Don't settle for easy work , that's the advice of PepsiCo CEO IndraNooyi, who earned $29.8 million in 2016."Nobody notices when you do an easy job well," she told Business Insider in 2014. "It's far better to challenge yourself by raising your hand for the toughest assignments and work to solve problems that no one else has been able to solve.

That's how you truly become a trusted leader inside an organization.”

"I make mistakes all the time, and talk about them openly with people up and down our hierarchy," the digital sports franchise leader told Forbes in 2016. "It fosters a culture where people should feel comfortable critiquing themselves honestly.”

5. Pursue extracurricular interests "My advice is to focus on becoming a complete person," said Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who grew up in a Brooklyn housing project and now has a net worth estimated at $1.1 billion. "Everyone should focus on the content of his or her job, of course. But work is not the end; it's a means to an end. You owe it to yourself to open up to broader interests.”

8. Push yourself Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo, says she would counsel her younger self to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

You'll never get ahead without pushing yourself to do things you've never done, and that means embracing tasks that you think you might not be fully prepared for.

So, pursue a hobby, travel, learn a new skill, read voraciously. Become that interesting p e rs o n t h a t m a k e s g r e a t d i n n e r conversation.

6. Focus on developing your own unique talents Former Birchbox co-CEO Hayley Barna knows a thing or two about developing personal strengths and talents. She helped launch the subscription beauty box company in 2010 before stepping down five years later to become First Round Capital's first female partner.

Her best advice is to identify and strengthen your distinct set of skills, rather than trying to be good at things you struggle with. For example, if you're a horrible writer but you're mathematically gifted, focus on your talent with numbers rather than trying to develop a literary voice.

"Never compare your weaknesses to someone else's strengths," "While comparisons are tempting, especially for competitive, ambitious people, it's always important to focus on your own special talents. That's how you can make a real impact. And it's the coordination of everyone's unique skills that can make magic happen.”

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“I always did something I was a little not ready to do," Mayer, whose net worth is $189 million, said in a 2015 speech. "I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of, 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough." \\\ THECEO

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Luxury Watches for Women With Fine Taste Its Christmas time and the perfect opportunity to spoil the woman in your life So much more than just a way to tell time, a woman's watch is also a statement and a piece of jewellery. So, while it must be functional, it also must be attractive and have a certain je ne sais quoi. Although finding such a watch is no mean feat, the task becomes simpler with the help of luxury styles. Featuring outstanding quality, craftsmanship and design, these watches are some of the top timepieces available and the ultimate way to adorn your wrist.

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IWC PortoďŹ no Automatic Day & Night 37 The IWC Portofino Automatic Day & Night 37 watch is both functional and stylish. Meeting practicality needs, it features a 42-hour power reserve when fully wound, 24-hour secondary time display, and 3 bar water resistance. When it comes to aesthetics, a dark blue alligator leather strap and stainless steel case set with 66 diamonds make a polished statement. A white motherof-pearl dial with 12 diamonds also adds to the overall elegant design.

Patek Nautilus 7010/1R-011 While the Patek Nautilus 7010/1R011 features a glamorous design, its aesthetics are far from ostentatious.

The stylish rose gold timepiece possesses a 32mm case set with 46 diamonds. Silvery opaline makes up the dial and the hour markers boast applied gold and a luminescent c o a t i n g. W h e n i t c o m e s t o functionality, a quartz movement and 60m water resistance ensure correct time and durability for this watch.

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AudemarsPiguet Royal Oak Quartz The AudemarsPiguet Royal Oak Quartz features a sophisticated and stylish design. Its 33mm case is made from titanium and boasts a gorgeous, polished platinum bezel set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds.

The bracelet is also made of titanium and features polished 950 platinum links. This clean and sharp design allows for the smoked blue dial and its “Grande Tapisserie� pattern, white gold applied hourmarkers and Royal Oak hands to take centre.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Small Model The Traditionelle Small Model watch by Vacheron Constantin is just stunning. Set with a luxurious 1475 diamonds, this chic timepiece is as special as can be. While the diamonds are naturally the standout feature, the rest of this watch's sophisticated design is also impressive. The case, which is 30mm in diameter and 5.98mm in thickness, is made of 18K white gold, as is the dial and strap.

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BlancpainQuantieme Retrograde 36532954-58B The Quantieme Retrograde by Blancpain is a self-winding watch with a moon-phase complication.

Even if you're not particularly interested in the moon and its phases, you'll still find this timepiece a worthy and whimsical purchase.

The case is made of 18ct red gold, and the bezel features one row of diamonds. The dial is made of mother-of-pearl and it is also set with diamonds while Ostrich leather makes up the strap.

ChopardImperiale 36 mm Watch The ChopardImperiale watch is the ultimate in refined design. Its sophisticated style boasts an 18ct rose gold and stainless-steel bracelet as well as a chic 36mm case. The generously proportioned silvertoned dial is fitted with finely curved hands, inspired by the age of Empires, and Roman numeral markers. Completing this exquisite design is an amethyst set in the crown that evokes the imperial purple of the Byzantine court.

Rolex Pearlmaster 34 Goldust Dream Roman Diamonds The Pearlmaster is Rolex's crowning jewellery watch. This model was created in patented, 18ct pink gold alloy and features a beautiful chocolate dial. The unique face boasts hour markers fashioned from 18ct gold and a bezel set with diamonds. The luxury timepiece is also a certified Swiss chronometer and equipped with the Rolex calibre 2235, which is a self-winding, mechanical movement.

Jaeger-LeCoultreRendez-Vous Tourbillon Combining the art of fine watchmaking with high jewellery, the Rendez-Vous Tourbillon watch

by Jaeger-LeCoultre is a dazzling spectacle. The well-sized design features a 5-bar water resistant case that is 39mm in diameter and 12.35mm thick. Made of white gold, it houses an automatic, selfwinding movement and gem-set dial with Rhodium-plated numerals.

Boasting an impressive 1209 diamonds all up, this tourbillon watch is as glamorous as it is precise.

Piaget Limelight Gala The Limelight Gala watch by Piaget is described as radiant, spirited and seductive. The design blends contemporary and classic styles to create an elegant and exciting timepiece. Two elongated horns adorn the 32mm white gold case, enhancing its shape with a line of graduated round diamonds on the bezel. Bold roman numerals and a satin strap are also essential features of this chic design.

Cartier Tank Solo Cartier is a name synonymous with luxury jewellery and timepieces and, as such, naturally finds itself on this list of top watches. The Tank Solo is a well-known Cartier watch that's favoured for its modest and modern design. An instant classic, the watch features a rectangular face and slanted roman numerals. A steel case also houses sword-shaped hands in blued steel and connects to a steel bracelet. \\\ THECEO

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It has avonoids Chocolate is not only delicious, it has surprising health benefits, especially if the concentration of cocoa is 70 percent or higher. Read on to learn more.

While chocolate is more often associated with indulgence than nutrition, chocolate (a derivative of cocoa beans) contains plant nutrients called flavonoids that provide many health benefits. Flavonoids are naturally found in fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine, and have been identified with having anti-viral, anti-allergic, antiinflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant benefits.

'Flavonoids are a plant-based antioxidant found in chocolate,' says Rebecca Scritchfield, RD and author of Body Kindness. 'The antioxidant properties of flavonoids are what stimulates health benefits from chocolate, such as helping with blood flow and decreasing cholesterol.'

Cocoa contains two types of flavonoids, flavanols and flavonols. Flavanols, the prominent type of flavonoid found in cocoa and chocolate, are the source of the antioxidant qualities.

Chocolate lowers your risk of heart disease Consuming cocoa and cocoa-containing foods in moderation have been linked to improved cardiovascular health due to their high content of flavanols, which have vasodilatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

'It appears that cocoa can increase the production and availability of endothelial nitric oxide, a substance that promotes dilation of the blood vessels, helping to improve cardiovascular function,' says Lauren Kelly, RD, based in New York City. In addition to helping to lower blood pressure, it lowers the risk of blood clots and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol. 'Lowering blood pressure and LDL cholesterol are two risk factors that would lead to heart disease,' says Scritchfield, 'by managing them, the risk of heart disease decreases.’

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It helps reduce the risk of arterial ďŹ brilation According to the American Heart Association, at least 2.7 million people live with atrial fibrillation, a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. A Danish study showed that participants who ate moderate amounts of chocolate had a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. 'Because flavanols can lower blood pressure and aid in blood flow throughout the body, chocolate may help reduce risk of heart disease and other heart risks such as atrial fibrillation,' says Scritchfield Chocolate improves your mood Eating chocolate is often associated with happiness and celebrations, and studies have proved that consuming chocolate can help improve your mood, making you feel calmer and more content. Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that create feelings of pleasure. 'Dark chocolate also contains serotonin, an antidepressant that can elevate mood,' says Scritchfield.

Flavanols are also believed to play a role in chocolate's mood enhancing effects. Despite the mood-boosting effects, Kelly warns that it is important not to fall into the habit of finding comfort from a food or turning to it in emotional times. 'I wouldn't rely on chocolate (or any food) as your go-to mood booster,' she says.

It improves cognitive function Flavonols in chocolate have also been linked to improving cognitive function as we age. 'Cocoa solids contain cocoa flavonoids that help with blood flow throughout your

body,' says Strichfield. Participants in the study consumed a drink rich in cocoa flavonoid, which led to improved cognitive function.

It helps to protect your skin Research shows that the flavonoids in dark chocolate help absorb UV light, increase blood flow to the skin, improve skin texture, and increase skin hydration. 'High-quality dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, which fight inflammation and oxidative stress, explaining why they may be helpful for promoting more healthful skin,' says Kelly. 'While research shows that regular consumption of flavanol-rich chocolate may help protect the skin against harmful UV light, you shouldn't use this as an excuse to eat tons of chocolate and skip the sunscreen.’ The darker the chocolate the better Cocoa solids contain cocoa flavonoids that help with blood flow throughout your body, but to reap their maximum benefits, you have to consume chocolate that is as close to raw cocoa as possible, says Scritchfield. While white chocolate does not contain any cocoa flavanols, milk chocolate does contain some, but it also contains a higher concentration of sugar (up to 22 grams per ounce), which could cause you to crave more sugar and lead to weight gain. Dark chocolate has less sugar and has been shown to be more satiating.

'Chocolates with cocoa percentages of 70 percent or higher are strong sources of cocoa flavonoids,' says Scritchfield.

'Chocolates with lower percentages have a less bitter taste, and still contain cocoa flavonoids, but they are not as concentrated.' \\\ THECEO

Eating chocolate is often associated with happiness and celebrations, and studies have proved that consuming chocolate can help improve your mood, making you feel calmer and more content.

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AFRICAN SUN PERSISTS IN HOSPITALITY CHARM AFRICAN Sun Limited is a leading hotel investment company in Zimbabwe operating internationally recognised brands, with a portfolio of hotels that is unparalleled in variety, location and size. The Hotel Group transitioned from a hotel operating company to an investment company in 2015. African Sun Limited still remains the largest hotel chain in Zimbabwe by room capacity, boasting 1728 rooms spread in 11 properties located in most tourist destinations as well as in three out of four main cities in the country.

MR EDWIN SHANGWA CEO, AFRICAN SUN HOTELS

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The group's fine mix of select hotels includes internationally recognised brands some of which have achieved world status amongst the “Top 100 Hotels in the World� making the grade to be a member of The Leading Hotels of the World in the case of The Victoria Falls Hotel. The company also operates casinos in Harare and Victoria Falls.

The Harare Casino is a standalone casino, whilst in Victoria Falls , the casino operates from The Kingdom at Victoria Falls Hotel.

Legacy Hospitality Management Services Limited (Legacy Hotels and Resorts), a regional based and internationally acclaimed Hotel Manager, manages five hotels namely; Monomotapa Hotel, Elephant Hills Resort and Conference Centre, The Kingdom at Victoria Falls Hotel, Hwange Safari Lodge and Troutbeck Resort. This role they took over from 1 October 2015. Of these five, four of the hotels are located in the country's major tourist destinations. These include two resort hotels in Victoria Falls namely Elephant Hills Resort and Conference Centre and The Kingdom at Victoria Falls, a close to the resort the safari operation, Hwange Safari Lodge and the Troutbeck Resort nestled in the rolling Eastern Highlands mountains of Nyanga. Monomotapa Harare is located in the capital city Harare, with its

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iconic structure overlooking the lush, colourful and perennially green Harare Gardens. The management company prides itself in not only providing excellent places to stay , but offers a lifestyle brand to its customers through its innovative product offering in keeping with luxury accommodation they provide all over Africa. Our guests within Zimbabwe can anticipate to enjoy the Legacy Hotels and Resorts luxurious and innovative product experience that they have become accustomed to when staying at our hotels.

The group's premier brand five star hotel, The Victoria Falls Hotel, endearingly called� The Grand Old Dame� a member of the Partnership between African Sun Zimbabwe (Private) Limited and Meikles Hospitality (Private) Limited, offers world-class hospitality with

signature touches that define luxury in travel. The recently refurbished Stables Signature wing of the hotel in the first phase of the planned hotel refurbishment, is testament to the luxury that this hotel has been associated with, in over a century that it has been in operation, which our customers enjoy each time they visit the hotel. With amazing views of the spectacular and iconic Victoria Falls Bridge, to either wake up to, dine in front of, sip Chardonnay or enjoy the celebrated high tea in a picturesque setting as the hotel certainly boasts the best address in town being, the first hotel to be built in the Victoria Falls. It goes without saying therefore, that it is only befitting that the two iconic structures in the destination should have such a symbiotic relationship, as the view of the hotel from the bridge is equally a site to marvel at. The Victoria Falls Hotel was initially built as boarding houses or lodgings for the labourers working on the bridge back in 1903, when construction of the bridge started , and the dream of Cape-to Cairo was brought alive. The traditional high tea, served on Thursday on The Stanley Terrace, is certainly a not-to-miss treat whilst at the hotel, or even dropping by the hotel, if you happen to be in Victoria Falls, as all visitors are welcome, and do not necessarily have to be residing at the hotel to enjoy the unforgettable experience. The Stanley Terrace gives guests a vantage point to soak in view of the gorge, the majestic Victoria Falls bridge and the rising spray from Mosi-u-a-tunya.

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies franchises the Holiday Inn brand in Zimbabwe, our pride in the city hotels.

Consistent with global benchmarks, the Holiday Inn hotels cater for the needs of global travellers with an international touch for both business and leisure. The IHG strives to create great hotels that guests love, and in Zimbabwe, both foreign and local African Sun Limited guests get to enjoy that experience. In this stable are Holiday Inn Harare, Holiday Inn Bulawayo and the

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recently rebranded Holiday Inn Mutare. Located in three out of the four major towns in Zimbabwe, the Holiday Inn hotels are business travellers' home away from home. With the ability to enjoy benefits from the IHG Rewards programme, travellers as well as travel coordinators are rewarded for their loyalty with exciting gifts and stays at these comfortable hotels.

The remaining two African Sun hotels, are both resort hotels targeted at mid-range business and leisure travellers seeking warm and comfortable hotels. The Great Zimbabwe Hotel, on the foot of the Great Zimbabwe Monument, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, and from where the country derives its name, as well as The Caribbea Bay Resort on the shores of Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume, are both great places to stay for that guest looking for a different hotel experience. The Great Zimbabwe Hotel affords the avid archaeologists a home from which to launch their explorative escapades, as they can walk to and from the World Heritage Site and learn as well as understand the way of life of the previous inhabitants of this ancient and highly developed civilisation. For those guests who want to experience the thrill of water sports, or calming effect of spending an afternoon out on a lake, the nearby Lake Mutirikwi can relieve the itch. The Caribbea Bay Resort offers guests a view of the lake from the pool, and beach meals can be arranged for those special and intimate moments should that be the guest's wish. A cruise on this lake is an interesting way to view game, the Zambezi escarpment and the petrified trees proudly showing their decades dried up trunks, yet still defying gravity and decay.

The Group having hotels in every major tourist resort and in four out of five major cities in the country brings that long awaited 'tour of Zimbabwe' on your doorstep. In addition, it also is the only Group that offers one an experience of The Mighty Zambezi River, the 4th largest river in Africa, in two different locations, with experiences that are worlds apart. Upstream whilst at The Victoria Falls Hotel, guests get to enjoy the gorge and the thunderous Victoria Falls, whilst downstream from the Caribbea Bay Resort, they can enjoy the tranquil waters of Lake Kariba from their lake view hotel room, or the pool area.

Whether you are traveling as part of a group, with someone special, or as a single traveller, unforgettable experiences await you under the African Sun. Who better to trust than a company totally in touch with unforgettable tourist destinations in Zimbabwe and ready to serve through its people who amongst them have over one hundred and fifty years of hospitality experience. Service therefore is second nature to the African Sun Limited staff who have been continuously developed to meet and exceed guest expectations over the years, and will continue to do so into the future. \\\ THECEO

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