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Passion drives Mutambasere’s life

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UNITED KINGDOM-BASED and British-born Zimbabwean writer, development economist and technology architect Chenayimoyo Mutambasere says passion and commitment in everything she touches has been her secret to success. Apart from her busy schedules, Mutambasere is also involved in some philanthropic projects back home.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

UNITED KINGDOM-BASED and British-born Zimbabwean writer, development economist and technology architect Chenayimoyo Mutambasere says passion and commitment in everything she touches has been her secret to success. Apart from her busy schedules, Mutambasere is also involved in some philanthropic projects back home.

Portrayal

Chenayi Mutambasere is a wife and doting mum of three.

Education

While my parents strove to send me to university paying international fees, it was not easy and I subsidised their efforts by working alongside studying.

I am a holder of a Master of Science in Development Economics from the University of Manchester and an Economics Bachelor’s degree from the same red brick institution.

I took the decision to study for my masters after a trip home (Zimbabwe) made me realise the purpose to return to Zimbabwe one day and make a contribution to the country’s development.

It was a tough decision as initially I worked full-time and also studied full-time while being mum to my first two children.

It was only made possible by passion and commitment and having access to exceptional professors some of them also being Zimbabwean went a long way in supporting this achievement.

Initially I travelled back to the United Kingdom in 1999 with the aim of completing my undergraduate and returning to Zimbabwe to work for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, but the change in economic circumstances would mean that I would stay in the UK post-graduation.

Before university, I went to at least five primary schools across Zimbabwe which has been an advantage in giving me an expansive social network.

For high school, I am a Thornhill High School and Roosevelt Girls High School alma mater.

Profession

I put the hours in from the get-go holding down a 30-hour job in a call centre while studying full-time.

My first work experience was working in Fleet Street for Thomson Reuters on a year-long internship which exposed me to the world of investment banking and the intricacies of London living.

Upon finishing my degree, this experience saw me opting to live in Manchester and pursue an accounting career, landing my first job as a commercial analyst for a co-operative group.

After a couple of years, I then decided to take a step back as a new mum and wife, putting my career on hold for a couple of years.

I, however, later set up my own firm where I assisted my former lecturer in setting up an accounting practice at the same time being afforded the flexibility of running my home while earning a small income.

After a few years, I decided to go back to work, but had a change in career from accounting to policy to process improvement.

This afforded me opportunities to work on huge public sector transformational projects improving social care, city council services and even a stint on a Ministry of Justice/Home Office project looking at improving outcomes for first-time offenders and their communities at large.

I was also seconded as manager in Manchester’s birth and death registration service so as to experience frontline service.

Working in public sector then was a flexible enough environment particularly for young families, so not only was it an exciting opportunity, but I managed to get enough flexibility to be hands-on mum for my then two children.

In 2013, after I decided to do my masters in the second semester, I resigned from work to complete my studies with minimal disruption to family life.

On completion, I was head-hunted for a role at Barclays Bank. The environment was fast-paced and much cutthroat, quite exhilarating actually.

After a couple of years, I was invited to lead on the bank’s first purist agile project.

Within a few months, I was again head-hunted by a Challenger Bank-start-up, where I spent another two years working on a crossover of product development and technology improvement.

In 2018, I was again head-hunted for a job with a Magic Circle law firm as a solution architect.

In this role, I designed technology architecture for different applications for the firm’s client base or for the firm’s associates.

I can say the path to technology definitely chose me and not the other way round.

Being a male-dominated industry, the path has its challenges, but I can comfortably say I have found my feet and  always ready for the next challenge.

Outside of work

Aside from mummy duties, I am the vice-chair of the governors board for UTC Media City. This is a university technical college that is focussed on a technology and media curriculum for children aged 14 to 19.

I am committed to supporting the school to achieve its attainment and recruitment objects. I am also the vice-president of Citizens Initiative which is a trust-run organisation focussed on delivering philanthropic projects in Zimbabwe which have included mobile doctors, COVID-19 personal protective equipment for health workers and Cyclone Idai relief including the rebuilding of a school.

Both opportunities are close to my heart for different reasons, but I do put maximum effort.

I am passionate about people and their access to their individual freedoms whether school, healthcare whatever it is if I pick up a case or cause I run with it not only to the best of my ability, but even beyond that.

Lifestyle

I consider myself a closet herbalist. I spend time studying the health benefits of Zimbabwean herbs and much to the amusement of my kids.

My luggage is often full of different items for my cupboard whenever I travel abroad.

I make every effort to maintain a healthy diet for the family. I enjoy cooking, so look forward to taking on cooking challenges whether it’s making an ice-cream cake for my near teenage son or hiding all the veggies in a home-cooked pizza, I take it all in my stride.

I hardly watch TV or movies, but will gladly invest time in reading a book from one of my favourite authors ranging from Paul Krugman, John Maxwell, Gabrielle Union, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Trevor Noah, among others. Sometimes I read to learn, other times I read to escape.

As a family, we enjoy travelling and visiting different places in Africa or Europe.

And definitely when I can let my hair down I am famous for totally ceasing the moment. I am that impromptu emcee at the best of times.

When I laugh, it’s intentional, when I dance I definitely break a leg. I guess it goes with the territory of not having much opportunity to do so on account of a mostly full plate.

I am fortunate to have made stable friendships along the way, so when we can we definitely meet up for a good laugh. At times that means a girls trip to Morocco where the fun definitely starts from the departure lounge.

Inspiration

My inspiration comes from my maternal and paternal grandparent. I was born in April 1980 from exiled Zimbabweans who named me Chenayimoyo Zimbabweyauya in a letter to their parents as they readied to come back home after many years in exile.

Lockdown diaries

Last year, being mostly in lockdown has introduced some different challenges from a work and family life perspective.

For me, working in my living space has been both blissful and challenging in almost equal measure.

Being at home means being there for the children a lot more, but the new dynamics means that the children have different support needs as they miss being with their peers.

I have introduced a lot of mindfulness exercises and physical games that the whole family can join in. For my wellbeing, I have a strict diet regime where I do a 30-minute high-intensity interval training workout every morning often with my three-year-old son as a supporting act.

Spirituality

I am a Christian and with my husband we raise our children to love and fear God. We are amazed every day by God’s grace in so many ways. I believe I could write a whole book on this one sentence alone.

  • Follow Winstone on Twitter @widzoanto

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