TSITSI Musabayana, the co-founder and managing director of fast foods concern Eat n Lick, has scooped the 2023 Chartered Governance Professional of the year Award for her efforts in spear heading corporate governance practices at the company. Musabayana was announced the winner at the just-ended Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGI) annual conference in Victoria Falls last week.
The runner-up for the award was former Rusape Town Council finance director Fanisen Shuwa, who was recently appointed Chegutu Municipality director of financial services.
Reading the award citation, CGI Zimbabwe chief executive and secretary Lovemore Gomera said Musabayana had emerged as one of the country's most successful governance professionals and entrepreneurs.
“A dynamic managing director with over a decade of leadership experience across diverse sectors in agriculture, bakery, fast food and security, she has spearheaded development and execution of a comprehensive backward integration strategy, significantly expanding business capital and driving substantial revenue growth within two years,” he said.
“She has initiated cross functional collaboration to improve supply chain efficiency, resulting in substantial monthly procurement cost saving.”
Accepting the award, Musabayana said her journey had started with a bakery in Chinhoyi in 2007, which she and her husband then decided seven years later to add to a family restaurant to provide fast foods.
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“From that small beginning, the business had expanded to include 20 Eat n Lick take-away restaurants in 11 towns or cities throughout the country and three franchised Barcebs Portuguese restaurants specialising in flamed grilled chicken,” the citation read.
“The backward integration mentioned in the award citation referred to the establishment of a chicken farm, which supplied the take-aways and restaurants with the chickens they needed.
“It was then decided to save on the cost of outsourcing more than 150 security guards to protect the business premises through out the country by establishing a security company, Eyes Higher Security.”
Reading the citation for the runner-up, Gomera said Shuwa’s CGI qualification had not only made him a good accountant and corporate governance champion as finance director at Rusape Town Council, but opened various doors to financial independence.
“His company, Sunset Breeze Resort (Pvt) Ltd and Sunset Breeze Tree Nurseries, have grown to a level where he has entered into partnership to support environmental initiatives,” he said.
“The resort has become a constant venue for outdoor activities like weddings, corporate activities and braai fest. It is also working on a state-of-the-art conference centre with a capacity of 500 delegates.”
The partnership had made possible the donation of 400 whistling pine trees for the beautification of Rusape, in addition to supplying trees to schools, individuals and the corporate world.
“The joint initiative is now one of the biggest in Manicaland, holding stock of more than 20 000 trees, shrubs and flowers, specialising mainly in ornamental trees,” Gomera said.
“The nursery is in sync with central government environmental policy with regards to climate change and plans to seek a licence for the export market.”