Craft Properties chief executive officer Kudakwashe Taruberekera says his globe-trotting efforts have expanded his professional circle while learning from global experts.
The land developer and real estate guru said apart from benefitting him, the global trips have also helped him discover new opportunities for his company and the country at large.
Taruberekera is in the United States where he is attending a number of global conferences including the Business Leadership Dialogue: Moving Forward Faster on Gender Equality which was held on March 13 in New York.
The conference was held on the side-lines of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women convened by the United Nations Global Compact and Champions of Change Coalition.
“We were invited as chief executives from across the globe to exchange views and discuss candidly how the private sector can guard against exacerbating gender inequality and close the gender gaps in representation and leadership, as well as the gender pay gap – two impediments to achieving full economic participation of women worldwide,” Taruberekera said.
“As the private sector we have a crucial role to play in accelerating progress by eliminating gender discrimination and advancing women’s rights, as women remain drastically underrepresented in business.”
Women's overall participation in the labour market remains much lower than that of men, according to the International Labour Organisation.
The organisation said among people aged 25 to 54, the gender gap in labour force participation stood at 29,2 percentage points in 2022, with female participation at 61.4% and male participation at 90.6%.
The conference involved opening remarks, facilitated dialogue and roundtable dialogue, among others.
“I had my contributions during the roundtable dialogue where we shared information on how our company would take immediate action to advance gender equality,” Taruberekera said.
“During the networking lunch, I engaged CEOs from other countries and we discussed the possibilities of investing in Zimbabwe.
“As a global business ambassador, l take every opportunity presented to me to share the benefits of doing business in Zimbabwe.
“I have been learning a lot from these global meetings and I have expanded my professional circle.”
Meanwhile, Taruberekera has been invited to attend the China International Exhibition on Gases Technology, Equipment and Application to be held from May 29 to 31.
The exhibition, the 25 edition, would be held at Hangzhou International Expo Centre.
It is an annual event of industrial gas industry, which has been held since 1999.
“As Zimbabweans, we have benefitted a lot from our all weather friends, the Chinese, in many sectors of the economy,” Taruberekera said.
“The bottom line is that there are lots of business opportunities attending such an exhibition on games and technology as we move to embrace new technologies.”
In June Taruberekera will return to the US to attend the 2024 USA International Business Conference, which is meant to bring together business experts from various parts of the world.
“The conference is meant for us to deliberate challenges of today's business environment and recommend solutions,” Taruberekera said.
The conference is organised by a group of American businesspeople.