The Chartered Secretary

Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper Issue 2/2018

Inside this issue

» Support President Mnangagwa’s ‘Zimbabwe is

open for business’ mantra, graduates told

» Personal branding may enhance professional

prospects

» Employees need to be viewed as a strategic

resource

Letitia Gaga elected

ICSAZ President

Official magazine of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe

The Chartered Secretary 1

ContentsIssue 2/2018

3

10

5

11

Communication

11

12

Public speaking requires confidence, preparation and rehearsal

Personal branding may enhance

professional prospects

Human Resources

14 Employees need to be viewed as a

strategic resource

Student Supplement

16 Curriculum changes from May 2019

Profile10 CIS profession can help shape country’s

future says Hippo Valley Finance Director

Institute News

Letitia Gaga elected ICSAZ President2

Chartered Secretaries provide cutting-edge

Corporate Governance

3

Support President Mnangagwa’s

‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ mantra, graduates told

5

Chartered Secretaries champion good

corporate governance

7

Business ethics require individual as well as

corporate commitment

8

Business Ethics

2 The Chartered Secretary

Baines Avenue Clinic Finance and Administration Director Letitia Gaga has been elected President

of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe.

She replaces Dr Paradza Paradza, whose term of office had come to an end.Mrs Ferida Matambo, who specialises in financial management, and Grain Marketing Board Pension Fund Chief Executive Officer Taona Munzvandi were elected Vice-Presidents.

Mrs Gaga is a seasoned financial expert. She chairs the clinic’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the board’s Finance, Audit and Procurement Committees. She is currently spearheading a Baines Avenue Clinic project to establish a Paediatrics Hospital.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in both public and private sector finance. Her core areas of competence include organisational development, strategic management, investment promotion, operations management and employee relations.

Mrs Gaga holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Zimbabwe. She also holds a Diploma in Transformational Leadership and Leadership for Women from the Success Motivation Institute.

She is a Fellow of the Institute, a past Chairperson of the Institute’s Harare Branch, a registered Public Accountant with the Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB) and an Associate Member of the Institute of Municipal Finance Officers (IMFO), South Africa.

She is a member of the Board of the Private Hospitals’ Association of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the Conference Committee of Private Hospitals.

She was the past Chairperson of the ICSAZ Corporate Governance and Membership Committees and a member of the Legislation and Technical Committee.

Mrs Gaga has worked as Acting Chief Executive of Baines Avenue Clinic and been Senior Accountant, Auditor and Salaries Administrator at the City of Harare.

Mrs Matambo, who is a Fellow of the Institute, has more than 28 years working experience, 25 of which were spent in the financial management of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

She successfully spearheaded the implementation of a one million dollar SAP

Enterprise Resource Planning system for the Rural Electrification Fund, which has consistently performed above expectations.

She holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (B.Compt) Honours degree and certificates in project management and advanced power trading and utility regulation.

She is a Chartered Accountant, a Fellow of the Institute of Public Finance Management Accountancy, a member of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe and a Certified Public Accountant registered with the PAAB.

Mrs Matambo is currently involved in the project to implement

International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) by public sector entities in Zimbabwe. This is being done in partnership with the PAAB, Ministry of Finance, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).

Mr Munzvandi is the founder and chief executive of the Grain Marketing Board Pension Fund, which, among other things, has provided pension fund members with houses across the country.

He has more than 24 years’ experience in the pensions and insurance industry. He has worked for Fidelity Life Assurance and for the Mining Industry Pension Fund, where he was a senior officer and Assistant Benefits Manager.

He has also worked in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office as a Senior Auditor.

Currently he is Vice-Chairman of the Prison Fellowship of Zimbabwe and a member of the Board of the Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds.

Mr Munzvandi is a Fellow of the Institute and of the Southern African Association of Accountants. He is a member of the (PAAB).

He has served as an ICSAZ Councillor and Chairman of the ICSAZ Marketing and Strategic Committee, as well as Chairman of the Institute of Business Accounting Studies.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration – Finance from the University of Zimbabwe and a Bachelor of Accounting and Computing Science degree from the University of South Africa.

He also holds a Certificate of Proficiency in Trusteeship from the Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds.

Institute News

Letitia Gaga elected ICSAZ President

Ferida Matambo

Letitia Gaga

Taona Munzvandi

The Chartered Secretary 3

Institute News

The newly elected President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries

and Administrators in Zimbabwe, Mrs Letitia Gaga, says Chartered Secretaries should give businesses the cutting edge in corporate governance so that they can realise their full potential.

In an interview with The Chartered Secretary, Mrs Gaga said Chartered Secretaries must continue to raise the Institute’s flag high by giving the businesses they work for the cutting-edge in Corporate Governance.

“Many companies have failed and are failing simply because of lack of advice. If we have strong institutions we will have a strong economy that will not collapse. This can be achieved by upholding good ethics,” she said.

Mrs Gaga said her theme during her tenure of office as the Institute’s President is ‘Chartered Secretary – Giving Your Business the Cutting Edge in Corporate Governance’.

“My theme will guide my tenure, especially when it comes to the value that the Chartered Secretary delivers to the corporate world.

“I was inspired by those who came before me and the tremendous work they have done to shape the corporate landscape in Zimbabwe and beyond as business captains and custodians of finance, accountancy, secretaryship and board proceedings, as well as in many other walks of life.

“The common thread running through their achievements is that of probity and the cutting-edge service that the Chartered Secretary brings to the table, be it the front or back office or boardroom. It is these virtues in the Chartered Secretary that I want to promote during my term in office,” she said.

Mrs Gaga pointed out that many people are under the misconception that the Chartered Secretary is a paper or pen pusher consigned to the back office or the post-action role of auditing.

“The reality is that today’s Chartered Secretary is a strategic asset who must be viewed as a linchpin for organisational functionality and executive decision-making. He or she is a value adding consultant bringing a wealth of expertise and experience in first class corporate governance.

“Business leaders need to be reminded that corporate governance is by no means a part-time or haphazard business. Corporate governance is the cornerstone of organisational success. The truth is that if you pay lip service to it, you will slip – period,” she said.

The roles and duties of the company secretary, Mrs Gaga said, have evolved over the years. Company secretaries named in the registers of companies now find themselves fulfilling the role of advisors to their organisations. She said that company

secretaries are constantly relied upon by board members for guidance and advice on matters that may relate to the company or their positions as members of the board of directors.

“ICSAZ has adopted forward-looking developmental strategies aimed at providing the public and private sector markets with fully equipped Chartered Secretaries. You cannot get away with employing unqualified company secretaries.

“A company must always have a qualified, competent, fit and proper company secretary who must have the requisite knowledge and experience necessary to undertake the statutory duties and responsibilities of this prestigious post and advise the board professionally and timeously.

“The company secretary should have the responsibility of ensuring that the company adheres to the code of best practice for corporate governance.

Mrs Gaga said she intends to assist those studying for the Chartered Secretary qualification with more practical experience through additional continuous professional development seminars as well as by seeing how best organisations they work for can make it affordable for them to attend events such as the Institute’s winter school.

For the associate and fellow members of the Institute, she wants to see more networking opportunities created through formal and social functions across the country. Mrs Gaga wants, during her term of office to deepen the Institute’s mentorship programme with a view to strengthening the confidence of graduands.

Chartered Secretaries provide cutting-edge Corporate Governance

Letitia Gaga

4 The Chartered Secretary

ICSAZ COUNCIL 2018/2019

BRANCH CHAIRMEN

DR PARADZA PARADZA, FCIS Immediate Past President

MR TAONA MUNZVANDI, FCIS Vice President

MRS LETITIA GAGA, FCIS President

MS LOICE KUNYONGANA, FCIS Councillor

MR GEORGE MAHEMBE, FCIS Councillor

Past President 2016/2017

MRS FERIDA MATAMBO, FCIS Vice President

MRS SITHEMBILE NCUBE, FCIS Councillor

MR CHARLES R NHEMACHENA, FCIS Councillor

MS LIFNETH MOYO, FCIS

Bulawayo Branch

DR JOSEPH BEMANI, FCIS

Masvingo Branch

MR SHEPHERD D CHINAKA, ACIS Mutare Branch

MR SIBAMBANGAMANDLA NCUBE, ACIS Midlands Branch

DR SIPITHI NKOMO, FCIS Councillor

MRS GLADYS MUDYAHOTO, FCIS Councillor

MR MICHAEL MAUTSAHUKU, ACIS Harare Branch

The Chartered Secretary 5

Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe graduates have been urged to

consider how they can make a difference to the country’s economy and contribute to achieving the government’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ vision.

“The ‘Zimbabwe is open for Business’ statement is not only directed to diasporans or foreign investors. It also applies to you and me,” past president of the Institute, Pious Manamike, told graduating students at this year’s graduation ceremony, which saw 280 students graduating.

“Zimbabwe needs local investors too. I urge you to be prepared to take on new challenges in your career life going forward. You can take note of the limitations of the prevailing macroeconomic environment but do not let these challenges determine where you end in life. Be prepared for greater things to come,” he said.

He urged them to look for opportunities, where others saw problems.

“Our political leaders in this country are calling for investments. The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Comrade Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangangwa, introduced a mantra, ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’.

“In order to support this vision, it is crucial for the nation to have a talent pool of skilled corporate secretaries, administrators, accountants, human resources and business professionals.

“This is where you, equipped with the skills and knowledge, can make a difference and contribute to the economy and society,” he said.

“I know when you read the newspapers and watch

breaking news on television, the future of humanity, in particular the world economy, appears gloomy. With two decades of economic downturn, the Zimbabwean economy is still struggling.

“Many of you may be asking whether there is hope. My word of encouragement to you is that yes, there is hope. There is a future and the destiny is in your hands,” he said.

He told the graduates that, while their new qualification provided a master key to open any career door, it was not the qualification itself that counted but what they had learnt and

what they would do with the concepts, principles, discipline and ideas they had acquired over the years of studying.

“A certificate is just a confirmation and track record of what has been learnt. Your future is in your hands and no one else’s. You have to seize opportunities as they present themselves to you,” he said.

Mr Manamike added that the graduates had taken the bold step needed to build a more promising future.

“This bold step is completing your ICSA qualification. Many people failed to do what you have done today. Every module you have taken, every exam you have written and every grade you have earned has been preparing you to face the challenges ahead.

“Do not let pessimistic people sway you from the targets that you have set for yourself to achieve,” he said.

Mr Manamike went on to say the greatest difference he had noticed between successful and unsuccessful people was not intelligence or opportunity or resources but the belief that they can achieve their goals.

“Now that you have been fully equipped, you have to work extremely hard, whether in some organisation or in your own company,” he said.

He told the graduating students they had what it takes to run their own businesses.

“Those multi-million or multi-billion dollar corporates started as tuckshops. You can Google those big corporates and see how they started. You will be surprised,” he said.

He said small to medium enterprises were considered worldwide to be the backbone of industrial development. They represented a large, diverse and important sector.

“The SMEs sector plays a pivotal role in terms of employment creation and the socioeconomic growth of both developing and developed countries,” he said.

Institute News

Support President Mnangagwa’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ mantra, graduates told

Pious Manamike

Some of the graduates with their certificatesto page 6

6 The Chartered Secretary

Institute News

Support President Mnangagwa’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ mantra, graduates told

Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators

in Zimbabwe

REGISTER WITH TRUST ACADEMY BUSINESS SCHOOL

Jubilee 2000 Centre40 Livingstone AvenueHararePhone: +263 4 790988 / +263 4 790984/791718Email: trust@trustacademy.co.zwWhats App : +263772442988

Haddon and Sly BuildingThird Floor,8th Ave & Fife StreetBulawayoCell: 263773616665/ 0712212179/ 08644114220/ 086441114247LandLine: 09 883614,09 883674,09 883690Email: infobyo@trustacademy.co.zw

0772 442 988 www.facebook.com/trustacedemy @TrustAcademy information.trustacademy

5 Ordinary Levels subjects includingEnglish Language and Mathematics2 Advanced Level subjects

WHO SHOULD APPLY

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

High school graduatesPolytechnic graduatesDegree holdersAccounting practitionersAdministration practitioners

INSTITUTE OF SECRETARIES & ADMINISTRATORSIN ZIMBABWE

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WHO SHOULD APPLY

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Secondary graduatesExperienced accounting, admin technicians without certification

Whats App : +263773616665

TRUST ACADEMYTraining...for Excellence

“Our Government recognises the role played by SMEs in sustaining the economy and improving livelihoods. It therefore enacted the Small and Medium Enterprise Act [Chapter 24:12] to promote and develop micro, small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe, whether operating in the formal or informal sector of the national economy, for sustainable development.

“Our country´s economy is being run by SMEs, following closure of big companies and an increase in the unemployment rate,” he added.

Lack of personal capital should not stop them pursuing their dreams, he told the students, adding that it was possible to start and grow a business with almost no personal financial investment, provided they knew what they were doing.

However, he emphasised the importance of maintaining ethical conduct in establishing and running one’s own business.

“A Chartered Secretary makes sure that the business is formalised. A Chartered Secretary contributes to the fiscus. A Chartered Secretary avoids unethical dealings,” he said.

Deals he said, did not constitute business, or make a person rich.

Mr Manamike pointed out that there was likely to be even greater demand for talented and skilled professionals and an even larger arena for accountancy and finance graduates to make an impact in the business world.

“The world today is characterised by rapid advancements in technology, increasing globalisation and the transition into a knowledge-based economy. What this means for today’s business is that one must continuously learn new skills.

“In such an environment, we cannot expect the knowledge we received in school to last us a lifetime,” he said.

The Chartered Secretary qualification, Mr Manamike said, is a first step in the right direction.

“It should be a portal that will expand your horizon and bring you more opportunities in this economy,” he said.

from page 5

The Chartered Secretary 7

Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe President Letitia Gaga says Chartered Secretaries are the champions and advocates of good

corporate governance with the potential to help companies grow.

Welcoming guests and graduates to the Institute’s 2018 graduation ceremony, Mrs Gaga said most companies that have failed to perform or that have collapsed have done so as a result of poor corporate governance

“ICSAZ, our Institute, is known to be the champion and advocate of good corporate governance. I am glad that today’s graduates have gone through Corporate Governance as a subject and know what it takes to steer small enterprises into becoming big corporates,” she said.

She said she was glad the Government was putting in place necessary reforms to address the poor corporate governance that had engulfed the business community.

“We now have a Public Entities Corporate Governance Act in place, the National Code on Corporate Governance (ZIMCODE) and a number of pieces of legislation that are being revised to address governance issues.

“The current Companies Act is also being revised to introduce more onerous requirements on governance,” she added.

Mrs Gaga said the Institute’s annual Excellence in Corporate Governance Awards have become a hallmark of excellence for bringing about best practices among boards.

“The adjudication reports on these awards have highlighted weaknesses in corporate governance in Zimbabwe. These include absence of adequate corporate governance structures, especially around the use of power bestowed on the directors and management.

“Others are lack of corporate governance training resulting in technical incompetence of board members and management, inadequate operation and financial control systems, poor composition of the Board of Directors, as well as insatiable greed and the need to get rich quickly and at all costs, resulting in corruption,” she said.

Mrs Gaga pointed out that the graduates’ relationship with ICSAZ is continuous and does not end after graduating.

“Now that you have just graduated from studentship, welcome to being members of the Institute. Let me advise you that you do not graduate and forget about the Institute. It does not work that way

“If you cease to be an ICSAZ member, the Institute has the right to withdraw its certificate. You need to continue paying your subscription fees to enjoy your membership and continue putting the ICSAZ qualification after your name,” she said.

Mrs Gaga said there are many benefits that come with being a member of ICSAZ.

“It is now a requirement for all Accountants to be registered with the Public Auditors and Accountants Board and you can only do that through the Institute.

“The Government has been requesting names of people who are ICSAZ members in good standing to be appointed to the boards of state enterprises and parastatals because of the strong brand of ICSAZ.

“Other benefits include receiving technical advice and guidance when necessary, having discounted rates for Institute conferences and being eligible to vote at annual general meetings.

“There are many people or ICSAZ graduates who have excelled in their various careers but equally there are others who have not quite been able to realise their potential of achieving their desired goals.

“The choice of which fork in the road you take is squarely in your hands. With the ICSAZ graduation certificate, you have been given the gun and it’s now up to you to shoot or be shot! You should make that choice now if you have not already done so and start working towards it.

“Whilst I agree that some things require prayers, that’s only part of the story. The real deal is that you must roll up your sleeves and grind out performance results. If God himself worked for six days to create the world, who are you to replace work with prayer?

“You have been equipped with all the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with many business questions and matrices. You have covered all business facets and you can’t blame the Institute for your lack of implementation, laziness and casual approach to everything you do.

“Be careful that you don’t starve your children because of your lack of performance or entrepreneurship,” she said.

Institute News

Chartered Secretaries champion good corporate governance

8 The Chartered Secretary

Business ethics are a set of moral principles, values and standards of conduct for the guidance of

business behaviour. The word ‘ethics’ means standards of right and wrong behaviour.

Another word often used in conjunction with ethics is ‘morality’. Morality is the degree of conformity to the accepted rules and standards of human behaviour.

It is therefore important to note that business ethics are standards that govern generally accepted business behaviour. The honesty and integrity of businesses are always under the watchful eyes of the public and the media.

Business ethics are not just about big business. Builders, restaurants, schools and driving schools are just as visible as big retailers and manufacturers.

Business ethics are about people. Businesses can only practise good behaviour or good business ethics if they are manned by people who themselves practise good ethics, good practices.

The business world today presents many challenges due to the diversity of those who are in business and their different needs, practices and goals.

Some of the areas of difference result from a wide diversity of cultural and accepted norms and the goals of the business players.

These differences include lack of a single agreed moral code. Most people have a weak sense of what is right and what is wrong, so their morals must come from somewhere else.

Another difference is that there are competing religious and social moral codes, especially for multinational companies operating in different parts of the world and employing people from different cultures.

In addition, the pursuit of profit puts pressure on people to compromise their standards, not just ethically, but in other areas.

For example a rude manager might be tolerated because he makes large profits. When good behaviour and good

profits come into conflict, businesses find it difficult to resist the profits.

Businesses are only as good as the people who work in them. However, businesses have group cultures with their own norms and standards. Individuals have a strong need to fit in and be accepted. Sometimes it is difficult for individuals to stand up against attitudes and decisions that they disagree with.

The pursuit of greater wealth may mean people tolerate ethically dubious behaviour. However, in countries

with better economies people are less accepting of authority. They also have less tolerance for bad behaviour.

Businesses have to sell to consumers. Consumers are not going to buy from or work for a business they disapprove of.

Many managers and owners have ambitions for social acceptance and recognition, such as, for instance, being awarded a knighthood. They are, therefore, not going to be caught behaving unethically.

Modern technology creates ethical dilemmas which never existed in the past. Medical products and gene technologies are good examples.

Should parents be allowed to alter the genes of their unborn children? Should businesses sell the products to do this? This is a critical issue that provides ethical dilemmas.

There are other factors that affect the ethical business environment beyond these. These factors all pull in different directions.

It has become a lot more difficult and a lot more complicated to do business in a generally accepted way than may have been the case in the past. In order to tackle the issues around ethics, some businesses set up special committees to discuss and decide on ethical problems and provide guidance for members of the organisation.

In the past, business activity was often perceived as being in conflict with ethical behaviour, principally because of the profit motive.

The pursuit of profit at the expense of ethical

Business Ethics

Business ethics require individual as well as corporate commitment

By Dr Farai Musamba (FCIS)

Dr Farai Musamba

to page 9

The Chartered Secretary 9

Participants in the Winter School

considerations has not necessarily been approved of by the wider community but it has generally been tolerated as long as a business remained within the law.

Some business people may, as in other sectors of society, have ethical requirements that range from a high ethical stance to a bare recognition of the need to ‘stay legal’.

Many business writers would interpret compliance with legislation as the only ethical concern of business.

Lord Cadbury, the architect of corporate governance in the United Kingdom, examined the issue of bribery and corruption. Answering the question of how far a company can go to obtain business in a society which tolerates personal payments to individuals, he argued for two rules to test whether a payment is acceptable.

First, is the payment on the face of the invoice? Second, would it embarrass the recipient to have the gift mentioned in the company’s in-house magazine? In other words, actions are unethical if they will not stand scrutiny.

Directors and managers are required to prioritise ethics and values. As a director, or manager, it is part of your fiduciary duties to be assured that the company is conducting its business honestly, ethically and in strict compliance with the country’s laws.

It follows, therefore, that the company’s strategies must be ethical. Accountants too must establish a tradition of integrity as they occupy leadership positions in companies.

Chartered Secretaries, as renowned corporate governance practitioners, are expected to do even better. They are the conscience of the organisation and carry high responsibilities. Personal and business ethics underlie all the regulations and codification in corporate governance.

Law and regulations alone can never guarantee fair

practice. Individuals in positions of influence and authority have to want to apply fair practice and abide by the rules.

Some individuals, however, will think far more about themselves than about the collective aims of their organisation.

In extreme cases, an individual will think about himself or herself to the exclusion of any other interests and have only personal interests in mind, regardless of his or her position within the organisation.

To some individuals, laws, stock market regulations and corporate governance codes are therefore obstacles to be overcome rather than guidelines for conduct.

Laws, regulations, accounting standards and codes are framed on the presumption that they will be followed. When there is evidence of misdeeds in corporate governance, the perpetrators must be censured consistently.

However, laws and regulations with criminal and civil punishments can never be enough on their own.

Ethical conduct and a firm sense of what is right and wrong is necessary. For this reason, individuals must follow an ethical code in their personal decision making. Each individual should abide by a personal moral code in business as well as in private life.

There must be a code of ethics sustaining the corporate culture of each company. A code of ethics, explaining the rules and guidelines by which it operates and by which it expects all its employees to work, may be necessary.

This article is based on a presentation by Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe Chief Executive and Secretary Dr Farai Musamba at the 2018 Winter School.

Business ethics require individual as well as corporate commitment

from page 8

10 The Chartered Secretary

John Chibwe is the Finance Director of Hippo Valley Estates, a listed company primarily involved

in growing and milling sugarcane in Zimbabwe.

As Finance Director, he is responsible for oversight and direction of all the company’s financial, secretarial and governance requirements. As a member of the senior executive team, he is also responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s strategic plan.

He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and a Chartered Accountant. He qualified as a Chartered Secretary in 1995.

Mr Chibwe joined Hippo Valley Estates in August 2003 as Chief Finance Officer. He did his chartered accountancy articles at Deloitte & Touche, which he joined in 1998. By the time he left the firm he had risen to audit managerial level.

Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche, Mr Chibwe worked for the Department of Taxes (now Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) for 17 years, for 10 years of which he served in the Investigation Unit (dubbed the A Team), where he was part of a team that pioneered the formation of this Australian-trained unit. He was seconded for one year to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) in Perth, Western Australia, where he received specialised training in the taxation and auditing of complex mining cases and multinational corporations, with specific focus on transfer pricing.

Mr Chibwe said he decided to study for the ICSA qualification in pursuit of excellence.

“The ICSA qualification, which was previously known as CIS, provides a solid base for championing business excellence in the corporate environment,” he said.

“A person with an ICSA qualification is adequately equipped with the necessary business intellect to enable him or her to operate at the highest level in the corporate world.

“The subject composition of CIS, the richness of the subjects’ content and their diversity but integrated nature provides one with a qualification that trains one to be a lateral thinker who can tackle business issues with mastery and a great deal of proficiency,” he said.

He pointed out, however, that while the ICSA qualification positioned one well for success, knowledge gained was only beneficial and productive for oneself if applied to good use consistently, while keeping abreast of current evolving professional dynamics through continuous professional development.

Mr Chibwe said that with his Chartered Secretary and Chartered Accountancy qualifications and his more than 36 years’ experience in professional practice, taxation and

industry and commerce, he was well positioned to make a significant contribution to business in structured finance (mergers and acquisitions), risk management advisory services, corporate governance, business turnaround strategy, complex taxation issues and other related specialised areas.

He said the current operating environment, with its low economic activity and company closures, had resulted in unethical conduct by some professionals, who took short cuts for quick gain, with such action often bordering on corruption. There was considerable scope, therefore, to improve on corporate governance.

“The drive by the current Government to enforce good governance gives hope,” he said.

With the new political dispensation the Chartered Secretary profession had even greater relevance than before.

“It can now play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the country,” he said.

Mr Chibwe sits on the Hippo Valley Estates board and the Zimbabwe Sugar Sales board.

Asked what he does in his spare time, he replied: “I try to build a solid and lasting relationship with my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through growing in knowledge of God and continuing to find favour in His sight.

“I have been happily married for the last 33 years to my lovely wife, Chipo. We have seven sons and one daughter pursuing their careers locally and abroad in accounting, law and mechanics.”

Mr Chibwe supports the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe through presentations on selected topics at Institute workshops.

Profile

CIS profession can help shape country’s future says Hippo Valley Finance Director

John Chibwe

The Chartered Secretary 11

The difference between an average public speaker and a great one is the ease with which the speaker

engages his or her audience. To communicate a message

effectively as a public speaker it is important to get into the subject you are speaking about, get the subject into you and get that message into the hearts of your audience.

This requires self-confidence. To assist you in gaining this self-confidence and overcoming possible stage fright, you need to plan ahead. Research your subject matter, decide how you will present it and rehearse its delivery.

It is useful to know your audience, so you can orientate your speech to the needs and expectations of those you are going to address.

You need to know your subject matter. You can’t make people understand something you do not understand yourself. Structure your presentation, so that it begins with an interesting introduction that captures your main point and ends with a conclusion that summarises the points raised in the main body of the presentation.

Practise your presentation out loud. Speak in such a way as to express yourself and your message clearly. Speak to express, not to impress.

Whether you are feeling confident or not, act as if you are. If you act as if you are confident, your audience is likely to believe you are. The more you act confidently the more confident you are likely to become.

There are three essential steps that need to be taken in organising your speech. Firstly plan your message, that is identify the purpose of your message and the fundamentals of the speech. Secondly write your speech, ensuring it has an introduction, main body and conclusion. Thirdly polish up the speech by reading and reviewing your draft and obtaining a second and maybe third opinion about it.

Improve your vocabulary, so that you have a wealth of words you can use to express yourself. If you come across a word you are not familiar with, look it up to discover its meaning, so you can use it when appropriate.

When practising and delivering your speech, remember that your volume, pitch, tone, pace, clarity, articulation and diction are all important in communicating effectively.

To communicate your message effectively, you need to be credible. Apart from the content of your speech and manner of presentation, there are other issues that affect your credibility. These include the way you dress and the way you look. When you dress well and appropriately, this is likely to not only give you credibility but contribute to your self-confidence.

Your posture and the way you use the space on the stage – stealthily moving around, for instance, exudes confidence – your facial expressions,

your eye contact with your audience and the gestures you use contribute to the effectiveness with which you communicate.

What is important is to engage your audience, to keep it hooked. Begin your speech with the end in mind, with what you want to achieve, which might be to inspire, motivate, inform or persuade. There should be an underlying major theme, which should be expressed simply and with humour. Humour is a critical element of successful public speaking and even of debating.

Be time conscious as well. Your speech or presentation should not be too brief but neither should it be verbose, lest you lose your audience’s concentration.

You should always be prepared for questions after your presentation. Where you have to choose from among a number of people wanting to ask questions, select them from all sections or your audience. Your responses to questions should be brief but poignant. Deliver a conclusion which provides a clear final thought, stance and position on the subject matter under discussion.

Common mistakes to avoid include giving irrelevant, inappropriate, rude or vulgar information, speaking in a low voice, speaking too slowly, mumbling, waffling, providing inaccurate facts or statistics, fidgeting or stammering.

This article is based on a presentation by Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Matebeleland Marketing Manager Velile Dube to the ICSAZ Bulawayo Winter School.

Communication

Public speaking requires confidence, preparation and rehearsal

By Velile Dube

Velile Dube

12 The Chartered Secretary

Personal branding is a popular topic in the workplace. Interest in this

is currently at an all-time high as people struggle to define their personal brand and live it in ways that come most naturally to them.

When you know yourself and your natural tendencies as a leader, it’s much easier to communicate your personal brand. In a highly competitive market, it is important to distinguish yourself in order to be recognised in your profession.

To do so, you need to create your personal brand. Your honesty and integrity are the driving forces behind your brand development. This should be authentic to you, relevant to your profession, factual and a unique message that distinguishes you from others.

It should be a clear, brief message so people understand who you are, what you stand for and what skills you bring to your profession.

Developing your personal brand may help to enhance your professional opportunities today and in the future. Your brand can grow as you develop as a professional. Creating your own brand will enable you to have control over people’s initial impressions of you. First impressions are lasting.

Some early childhood experiences shape adult life. Most people do not remember their first two or three years of life but the earliest experiences usually become stuck in their minds and continue to influence them well into their adulthood.

In spite of their background and shortcomings people should ask themselves if they are prepared to position themselves as effective communicators. How we respond to challenges and setbacks is often determined by our mind set.

There are consequently two different mind sets. These are a growth mind set and a fixed mind set. A ‘growth mind set’ is when individuals believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies and input from others.

People with a growth mind set tend to achieve more than people with a ‘fixed mind set’. This is because they worry less about looking smart. They put more energy into learning new things without fear and accepting that

challenges help them grow. When entire companies

embrace a growth mind set, their employees are more empowered and committed. They also receive far greater organisational support for collaboration and innovation.

However, a fixed mind set is when individuals believe that their talents are inborn gifts. People at primarily fixed mind set companies report more of only one thing such as cheating and deception among employees, presumably to gain an advantage in the talent race.

They believe that failure is the limit of their abilities and give up easily. They

spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing it. They also believe that talent alone creates success without effort. This is wrong.

Your personal brand is everything people around you think, feel, say, hear, read, watch, imagine, suspect and even hope about you. It is not what you say it is. It is what they say it is.

It includes the clothing you wear, how you interact with people and your body language, as this is tied to your overall brand.

No matter how good you are at your job, a poor personal image can affect your ability to be promoted, keep you from receiving plum assignments and even hamper your long-term career goals.

The power to inspire, control and even influence those with whom you come in contact lies in the decisions you make regarding how you choose to package yourself.

When people talk about “personal branding” they are referring to establishing and promoting what they stand for, what makes them distinctive, what makes them stand out from the crowd, what makes them them.

Your personal brand is the unique combination of skills and experiences that makes you who you are. Effective personal branding will differentiate you from other professionals in your field.

You need to ask yourself if you have developed a clear sense of your own personal brand based on an honest current self-analysis.

Re-discover yourself. Do some soul searching. Ask yourself some leadership questions. Such questions include: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

Personal branding may enhance professional prospects

Cynthia Hakutangwi

Communication

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The Chartered Secretary 13

Some of the delegates who attended the Bulawayo Winter School

How will I get there? What will be my legacy?The authentic self is the you which can be found at

your absolute core. It is the part of you not defined by your job, function or role. It is the composite of all your skills, talents and wisdom.

It is all of the things that are uniquely yours and need expression, rather than what you believe you are supposed to be and do.

Portraying a professional image can be achieved by body language. This is the unspoken element of communication that we use to reveal our true feelings and emotions – our gestures, facial expressions and posture, for instance. How people stand can say a lot about what they are thinking and feeling.

Even how you sit can communicate a particular behaviour. You could come across as being extremely confident and relaxed or unsure and timid.

Body language encompasses how we position our bodies, our closeness to and the space between us and other people, our facial expressions, how our eyes move and focus, how we touch ourselves and others and how our bodies connect with other non-bodily things such as pens and clothing.

This article was drafted from a presentation by Personal, Organisational Development Consultant Cynthia Chirinda Hakutangwi to the 2018 ICSAZ Winter School.

Personal branding may enhance professional prospects

from page 12

14 The Chartered Secretary

Organisations that are trying to be competitive are engaging in practices that motivate and retain their strategic resource, which is their employees,

resulting in high productivity and competitiveness for their market share.

It is necessary to manage people as a strategic asset and measure their performance in terms of their strategic impact.

People are a strategic resource because they play a critical role in both strategy implementation and management systems. Unlike machines, which need to be operated, employees can easily understand the strategy in an organisation.

Practices that show the importance of employees in an organisation include flexibility, engagement in the decision making process, training and development, commitment and employee motivation.

Flexibility involves a willingness and ability to readily respond to changing circumstances and expectations.

Ordinarily, employees who approach their job with a flexible mindset are typically more valued by their employers. The flexibility also results in their enjoying their job more.

Employee engagement, as another practice that demonstrates the importance of human resources, involves organisations engaging their employees in the decision making process. Unlike machines, employees can provide advice which may benefit the organisation.

Training and development of employees is another clear indication of the importance of people in any organisation. Both training and development help employees perform better. However, when a decision has been made to conduct training it ought to be continuous. Benefits should be measured by the quality of work after such training and increased productivity.

Employee commitment is another demonstration of the importance of human resources. Organisations value commitment among their employees, because it is typically assumed to reduce withdrawal behaviour such as lateness, absenteeism, frequent sick leave and staff turnover. Committed employees are less likely to engage in such withdrawal behaviour.

In the same manner motivated employees are likely to produce the best results for the company. As such, organisations need to make sure they keep their employees motivated for better performance.

The difficulties that organisations face in replacing certain employees, particularly when experienced and goal oriented employees leave, makes it essential that organisations come up with retention strategies.

With emerging trends, artificial intelligence, also

Human Resources

Employees need to be viewedas a strategic resource

By Avilla Goba

Avilla Goba

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The Chartered Secretary 15

known as machine intelligence, has changed the systems for human resources in terms of recruitment and selection, learning and development.

Artificial intelligence has brought about ease of recruitment of employees, ease of communication within the organisation and ease of data analysis.

When recruiting employees it is now routine for companies to post openings online and require job seekers to apply through an online applicant tracking system. This helps free time the human resources department would have spent dealing with paper resumes or personal calls.

Machines now offer many possibilities to elevate human resources activities, maximise workplace productivity and provide more support and resources to managers, employees and candidates.

However, emotional intelligence is still every bit as valuable as artificial intelligence. No machine can ever account for the complexities of human emotion and behaviour.

Social media sites can be used to provide insight into the character of prospective applicants for job openings, thereby making it possible for HR practitioners to eliminate potential problematic candidates early in the recruitment process.

With email, text and messaging applications it is now easier than ever before for the human resources department to stay in touch with the rest of the company.

The same applies to data analysis. In the past analysing employee performance was dependent on personal assessments and obvious standards such as finishing the task on time. Technology has, however, made it easier to gather and break down data on employees so as to obtain an overall picture.

With artificial intelligence, the future of work lies in people adapting to and embracing change so that half the work is done by machines. This leaves HR free to concentrate on strategic matters.

The way forward is to adopt the seven steps to making human resources a strategic asset.

Clearly defining the business strategy and communicating it to the entire organisation is the first step to making human resources a strategic asset.

Step two involves building a business case for why and how HR matters should be implemented at a strategic level. This will require HR professionals and line managers to assume shared responsibility in implementing strategy.

Step three requires building a strategy map describing the causal flow of strategy implementation, while step four is linking HR architecture to the strategy map.

Step five is designing HR systems in alignment with HR deliverables. Strategically, the HR deliverables are driven by competencies, motivation, work structure and strategic focus.

In this instance the HR system, which involves recruiting, selection, compensation, rewards and career development, must be focused on those behavioural drivers.

This will result in a HR system that is externally aligned with the requirements of the strategy map and internally aligned among the various elements of the system.

Step six requires designing a HR strategic measurement system such as the HR scorecard. This is required as a measurement system that will not only guide the management process but also validate HR’s contribution to the organisation’s performance.

The final step is implementing management by measurement.

Managing HR as a strategic asset will be a significant change initiative for most organisations. It will require a new perspective on HR as well as acceptance of this new role by both line managers and HR professionals

Ultimately the success of this initiative will depend on whether the people in the organisation who are charged with implementing the firm’s strategy understand the logic of the strategy’s execution and their role in that logic.

This article is based on a presentation to an ICSAZ current affairs seminar by Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe Corporate Services Director Avila Goba.

Employees need to be viewedas a strategic resource

from page 14

16 The Chartered Secretary

Student Supplement

The Institute would like to remind all candidates that the Institute’s curriculum will change with

effect from the May 2019 examinations. The following are the approved subjects for the new curriculum:

PART ABusiness AccountingBusiness EconomicsBusiness Statistics and Information TechnologyBusiness Law Business Communication and Ethics

PART BFinancial Accounting and ReportingAuditingTax Law and PracticeHuman Resources Management

PART C (Professional Programme I)Development of StrategyAdvanced Accounting and Financial Reporting *Cost and Management AccountingCorporate LawCorporate Financial Management

PART D (Professional Programme II)Corporate Secretarial Practice*Applied Governance, Risk and CompliancePublic Financial ManagementAudit and Assurance

Candidates should plan with the new curriculum in mind. A communication regarding the changeover arrangements will be circulated soon for candidates who completed their studies under the old curriculum.

ExaminationsTo assist those students who want to complete the course under the old curriculum, supplementary examinations will be offered again from 28 to 31 August 2018 for Part C and D subjects.

The examinations will be offered in Harare and Bulawayo only. The Harare examinations will be held at Prince Edward High School. The venue for Bulawayo will be the ZITF grounds, Hall Number 3. The detailed timetable is available on the website and the students’ web portal account.

Candidates are reminded that they will not be allowed to sit for their examinations without having with them the following documents:

• National Identity Card / Valid Passport

• Examination Confirmation Letter

• Valid ICSAZ / IBAS Student Identity Card

Curriculum changes from May 2019

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