HARARE – Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) chief executive officer Gloria Zvaravanhu has been elected into the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) board, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
ICAZ did not say when Zvaravanhu was elected.
But the development added a new feather to her meteoric rise up the corporate leadership.
It comes only six months after her appointment as CEO at ICAZ, the prestigious organisation representing over 2 200 chartered accountants in Zimbabwe, with several international chapters.
She is the only Zimbabwean on the PAFA board, which is led by Namibian, Koos Du Toit as president.
He is deputised by Leonard Ambassa, a Cameroonian national, according to PAFA, which falls under the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
Established in 2011, PAFA represents Africa’s professional accountants.
According to its website, PAFA is a non-profit organisation with a footprint in 53 professional accountancy organisations across 43 countries.
“Our mission is to accelerate and strengthen the voice and capacity of the accountancy profession to work in the public interest, facilitate trade, and enhance benefits and quality services to Africa’s citizens,” PAFA says on its website.
“PAFA takes a multi-pronged approach to engaging with stakeholders at continental, regional and national levels, and we aim to develop the accountancy profession and work collaboratively to drive Africa’s agenda. Our mandate is founded on the premise that national professional accounting organisations have the capacity to drive good financial management practices, accountability, transparency and good governance across public and private entities. We therefore believe that our ability to develop institutional capability will enable the acceleration of economic growth and the reduction of poverty in Africa,” says PAFA.
A former general manager for corporate services at NicozDiamond Insurance in Zimbabwe, Zvaravanhu was appointed ICAZ CEO in January, after previously having been president between 2017 and 2018.
She had previously worked at First Mutual Holdings as the group finance manager, before becoming finance executive for First Mutual Life.
She then moved to NicozDiamond, which was listed at the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in 2002, before delisting last year.
Zvaravanhu holds the Masters degree in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa and a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Rhodes University in South Africa.
“It’s a great opportunity to serve my institute yet again, this time in an executive role,” she said of her appointment.
“I believe I have a contribution to make to the esteemed Institute and the accounting profession as a whole. I am passionate about it and believe I will make the desired impact,” she said.
