Story by Tichaona Kurewa
ZIMBABWEANS are increasingly occupying key roles in the region, with Mr James Mharadze recently elected as Chairperson of the Council of Bureaux for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Yellow Card Scheme.
Mharadze, an insurance practitioner, was elected at the ongoing 38th COMESA meeting of the Council of Bureaux of the Regional Third Party Motor Vehicle Insurance in Victoria Falls.
Acting COMESA Yellow Card Scheme Chairperson Mr Patrick Kusikwenyu indicated that the vote on Zimbabwe is a show of confidence in the Southern African country and its ability to lead the Yellow Card Scheme.
“For starters, we have been in it from the beginning. We have a lot of understanding of the processes and how they work, but also, I think the guidance that we will also be able to give will be at the highest level. We want to see efficiency as we move into this new era, the year that we will be running.
“We want to ensure that the governance structures of the Yellow Card continue to be strengthened. We also want to see the ability for the communication between countries to be much better. So Zimbabwe has just recently been elected and I think it is a very important position to hold,” he said.
Mr Charles Ndagijima, Past president from Burundi will deputise Mr Mharadze.
Mr Mharadze is a complete insurance professional with experience in both short-term insurance and life assurance industries comprising 21 years in general insurance and two years in the life assurance industry.
He has 23 years of professional experience, 14 of which are at senior management level, and will lead the regional board for a year.
He worked for AIG Zimbabwe, Zimnat Lion, Optimal Insurance, CBZ Life, and CBZ Insurance.
Currently, Mharadze is the General Manager and Principal Officer at CBZ Insurance.
He holds leadership roles in the Zimbabwe insurance industry as the current Vice Chairperson of the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) and Chairperson of the National Bureau of Zimbabwe.
Mr Mharadze has extensive leadership experience in the COMESA Yellow card business, steering growth for the National Bureau of Zimbabwe in the past eight years.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honors in Insurance and Risk Management Degree from the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe) and an MBA degree from the Midlands State University (Zimbabwe).
