Chaora leaves Cimas, Ndlovu to take over

Cimas Medical Aid Society group chief executive Mac Chaora will leave the company at the end of the year, after more than 17 years at the helm of Zimbabwe’s oldest private health insurer, the company has announced.

He will be succeeded by Cimas group chief operations executive Vulindlela Ndlovu, who joined Cimas two years ago as group finance executive.

Chaora joined Cimas 26 years ago in May 1989 as operations manager. He was appointed medical aid manager, heading the medical aid division, in February the following year. He was appointed deputy chief executive in 1997 after undergoing a senior management course at Harvard University in the United States. He was appointed group chief executive in November 1998.

Under his leadership Cimas has expanded considerably the services it provides. This includes the establishment in 1999 of the Harare Haemodialysis centre, in a joint venture with Gambro of Sweden, at a time when there was a shortage of dialysis facilities in the country. In another joint venture, Cimas opened a chemotherapy unit at St Clement’s Clinic in Harare.

In 2003, Cimas set up Healthguard International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cimas dedicated to giving members access to international health services.

Chaora’s term of office saw Cimas establishing clinics throughout the country. The first was the Rowland Square Clinic in Harare’s Milton Park suburb in May 2005. There are now nine Cimas clinics spread across the country, including one in Harare that is open 24 hours a day every day.

Chaora faced the challenging task, together with his senior management team, of steering the society through the difficult years of hyperinflation and the switch to multicurrency trading.

“Under Chaora’s leadership, Cimas has expanded its operations to meet the changing needs of its members, ensuring that they have access to affordable health care. I would like to express my appreciation for the dedication and hard work he has put into making Cimas what it is today and wish him well in his retirement and future endeavours,” Cimas chairman Mordecai Mahlangu said in a statement.

“I have every confidence that Ndlovu, who is taking over from him, will continue the good work that has been done and ensure that Cimas continues to provide the high standards of service to which our members have become accustomed.”

Before joining Cimas, Ndlovu was employed by private equity firm Lufuno Capital Partners.  He was previously BancABC Zimbabwe managing director and is a former partner at KPMG Zimbabwe.

A chartered accountant who holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree, Ndlovu is a past president and past council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe.- The Source

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