SUMMIT TO ENHANCE STATE OF SECURITY IN BOTSWANA
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November 2023
Ndhlukula inducted into BEX Hall of Fame
Dr Ndhlukula and Jean Oelwang with John Bourke, President of the Business Excellence Institute in Dublin, Ireland RENOWNED Zimbabwean businesswoman, Dr Divine Ndhlukula, has been inducted into the Business Excellence (BEX) Institute, the world’s only global business excellence membership body, Excellence Hall of Fame 2023. The Excellence Hall of Fame induction ceremony gala dinner was held in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on October 19, 2023 to celebrate the induction of Dr Divine Ndhlukula and Jean Oelwang to the Excellence Hall of Fame. Guests enjoyed an evening of drinks and jazz followed by dinner and a “fireside chat” with the inductees. John Bourke, President of the Institute, began by welcoming guests from the public and private sector from Ireland as well as those who had travelled from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Dr Ndhlukula, founder and chief executive of Securico, an award-winning security company in Zimbabwe, was presented with her award by Yiannis Lagos, a Fellow of the Institute. She is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, speaker, and advocate for the empowerment of women, and is one of Africa’s most successful businesswomen. Dr Ndhlukula was recently chosen as one of Forbes “50 over 50” women in Europe, The Middle East and Africa (2023). Jean’s award was presented by Marie Lindsay, a Fellow of the Institute and Excellence Hall of Famer (2018). Jean is the President and chief executive of Virgin Unite, which she founded with Richard Branson. She has worked on the incubation and start-up of numerous global initiatives including The Elders, The B Team, The Africa Donor Collective, Ocean Unite, The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, and The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship. Jean also received video messages of congratulations from Ajaz Ahmed, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, and Richard Branson. The presentations were followed by a lively “fireside chat” with the inductees, hosted by Stephen Smith, a Fellow of the Institute. BEX President John Bourke said “Once again we’ve had a fantastic evening celebrating two exceptional people — Divine Ndhlukula and Jean Oelwang — who strive for excellence in everything they do. Women who are shining lights on the journey to excellence and who have made enormous contributions to the world of business, social justice, philanthropy, and, by doing so, to society overall. “We are honoured to welcome them to the Excellence Hall of Fame.” Attendees at the event received a copy of Jean Oelwang’s book “Partnering”. Hosted by the Business Excellence Institute, the annual event recognises and celebrates people who have made significant contributions to the organisations in which they have worked or, to the discipline of management, or to society at large. Previous inductees include: Rita Gunther McGrath (Professor of Management, Columbia Business School & Entrepreneur), Joe Schmidt (All Blacks Attack Coach), Feargal Quinn (Founder of Superquinn), Clara Shih (CEO of Salesforce AI, Founder of Hearsay Systems and Board Member of Starbucks), Henry Mintzberg (World-leading thinker management and business strategy), Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch (CEO of US China Education Trust), Raomal Perera (Serial entrepreneur and INSEAD professor), Eileen McDonnell (CEO and Chair of Penn Mutual), Martin Naughton (Founder of Glen Dimplex) Headquartered in Dublin, the Business Excellence Institute (BEX) is the only global membership body for Business Excellence, the leading authority on excellence, and the go-to organisation for those wanting to excel. With members in 36 countries on 6 continents, BEX supports organisations ranging from small family businesses, through universities, to federal governments with a portfolio of services delivered by its members. THE HERALD
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IMPORTANCE OF A BUSINESS PLAN
Some have been asking me why banks often reject their loan applications. There are many reasons that banks may use to reject an application. These range from lack of adequate collateral, wrong cash flows, or an unconvincing business plan. I feel it is of paramount importance for me to explain more on a convincing business plan. The business journey is indeed rewarding and also a voyage of discovery. We live in a world that is governed by laws. Failure to observe the law pertaining to a certain aspect means failure in that line. Business is not to be spared as well. There are laws of success that govern business. In order for the business venture to grow and be sustainable there is a need for proper planning. There is a popular adage “Failing to plan is planning to fail” (Benjamin Franklin), this adage may sound like music to your ears but business planning is a key area which zeroes in on the importance of planning for any project. Sadly, this planning step is often overlooked and the result is always devastating. There are many opportunities and ideas that are not seeing the light of day because they have not been planned properly. A business plan is a prerequisite to anywhere worth going in terms of business idea. A business plan is a well-defined road map that details how a business will achieve its objectives and goals, whether it’s a start up or an existing business that is planning for the following periods. It has to be clear on its strategic intent and the action plan thereof. The plan has to have a summary of what if key intention is and then detail how key aspects such as structure, operational plan, marketing, financial. Having a 3-to-5-year horizon is always better as we all want to build generational businesses. Many people only draw up a business plan because they want to get funding from a bank, and they end up using some so-called consultants to come up with such a key document, they usually pluck if off some similar documents or off the internet that may not have a fit with your own idea. I encourage entrepreneurs to come up with their own business plan as this forces them to think through the major aspects of how the business is going to evolve. This usually helps to fine tune some key assumptions that might mislead the entrepreneur to think the idea works in a certain way , whereas, sitting down to put it all together will give clarity on the best way forward. Therefore, a business plan, whether for funding or not, is the key guide to a implementing for success.
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