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SUGAR processor Hippo Valley Estates chief executive officer Mr Aiden Mhere is stepping down next month after serving the firm for over 24 years.
He was appointed as CEO in December 2019.
The sugar firm has appointed Tendai Masawi as the new CEO effective April 1.
In a notice to shareholders, Hippo Valley said Mr Mhere is taking an early retirement to allow him to focus on the next phase of his career, following a sterling contribution to the Group over 24 years.
“Over the last 30 years, Aiden contributed to executive roles in the maize meal, our, cooking oil, sugar and ethanol sectors, having joined TA Holdings Ltd in 1995 and before crossing over to Anglo American Zimbabwe Corporation on 1 November 1999, to provide transformational leadership support to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company,” reads part of the notice.
The Company was later integrated into Tongaat Hulett Limited, and Mr Mhere served in several roles before he was appointed as CEO on December 1, 2019.
Over the years, he served on several local and regional boards.
“Aiden will be remembered as a respectful, practical and reassuring optimist who played a leading role in collaborative stakeholder engagements involving Government, Farmers, Unions, Community Leaders, Shareholders, the Media and Business Partners, through the years.
” A highlight of his career was his guidance in the conception, development and roll out of the iconic 4 000ha Kilimanjaro Sugarcane Project, officially launched by His Excellency, President Dr E D Mnangagwa, in November 2019, an excellent example of a post-independence private sector led, broad-based economic empowerment program.”
The firm said Mr Mhere has agreed to stay on as an Independent Consultant to the Group for twelve months, further allowing access to his counsel on issues of strategic importance to the Company and the sugar industry.
The incoming CEO, Mr Masawi is a seasoned sugar technologist with 35 years of regional industrial and corporate management experience.
“He has held various roles within the sugar value chain and his depth and breadth of sugar experience will no doubt be a significant asset to lead the implementation of a fit for future organisation.”
He has held several roles at ZSR Corporation Limited (ZSR), where he started his career in the Sugar Industry in 1988 as a Chemist at Harare Refinery.
He later served as Operations Manager and General Manager at ZSR Bulawayo and Harare Refineries and later as Chief Operations Officer and Executive Director for Star Africa Corporation until July 2012.
He joined Hippo Valley as Milling Operations Director in September 2012 to be later appointed as Executive: Milling Operations and Technical Services from 2018.
He then moved to Mozambique as Managing Director for Tongaat Hulett Mozambique.
“There he and his team successfully implemented the turnaround of the Mozambican operations and today Xinavane is one of the best performing mills within the industry,” the firm said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter