Dr. Nicholas Ndebele is the Chief Executive Officer of the ZITF Company. He joined the Company in November 2017 and was responsible for setting up a sales function to drive sales of exhibition space, events, stand design and stand building.
Nick is a business development specialist with over 15 years of multi-sectoral experience gained in the commercial and non-profit sectors.
He has worked for a number of local corporate giants and non-governmental organisations which include Old Mutual, Population Services International (PSI) and Telecel Zimbabwe where he has led high-delivery teams in the sales, distribution and account management portfolios.
In 2011, he was awarded the PSI Account Manager of the Year in recognition of his achievements in market growth in Matabeleland with respect to sales volumes and market execution efforts. During his tenure at Telecel Zimbabwe, he was part of the team that introduced the Telecash brand, which is a popular Mobile Financial Service (MFS).
Nick has a PhD in Business Leadership from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) of the University of Pretoria. He is alsoa holder of a MSc in Marketing (with Distinction) (NUST), a Masters in Business Administration (MSU), an Executive Diploma in Business Management (GIBS), Bachelor of Business Studies (UZ), and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations (NUST).
A passionate networker, Nick is a member of the Bulawayo Chamber of Commerce, Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) and Computer Society of Zimbabwe (Bulawayo Chapter), which has been at the forefront of mobilising resources to buy computers for school libraries in Bulawayo and Matabeleland regions.
Key business lessons learnt along the way:
- need for hard work, tenacity and focus;
- intimate self-knowledge of strengths and weaknesses – that allows one to select people that complement them, that bring different skills, that bring diverse thinking;
- constancy of curiosity – need and desire to keep learning, to never assume that I know it all; 4) need to make choices and prioritise – strategy essentially is about choices;
- holding people accountable for delivering what they commit to -rewarding and recognising them when they do well and guiding them to see opportunities for improvement when they don’t.
Nick is a gym enthusiast, though lately, during his spare time, he is trying his hand on the green!
Nick is married and blessed with a daughter and two sons.
Areas of Expertise
- Business Development Strategy
- Digital Transformation and Innovation
- Entrepreneurial Growth and Sustainability