Zambia Sugar Country Managing Director, Rebecca Katowa retired from Zambia Sugar on August 31, 2021 after leading the Company to improved performance and increased profitability over the past 7 years.
The Company’s first woman Managing Director has firmly set Zambia Sugar on a platform for sustained profitability following a good financial performance in the last few years; with a stellar performance in 2020 and even better half year results for the first half of 2021.
The Company is set for a good year in 2021 with good cane production and sugar manufacture. At the helm of Zambia Sugar, Rebecca steered the Company exceptionally well overseeing a major turnaround of the business. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she demonstrated astute leadership in a challenging economic environment ensuring that all of its over 6700 direct employees and over 4774 indirect employees from our out grower scheme remained in full employment.
It is no doubt that Rebecca, retires having fully delivered on the Company’s vision and to the expectations of the Board. Chairman of Zambia Sugar Plc Board, Mr Norman Mbazima said, “Rebecca stepped into her post not only as Zambia Sugar Plc Country Managing Director but also as the first woman Managing Director in the Illovo Group of Companies in 2015 leading Africa’s largest single mill producer. She continued to deliver beyond expectation and to the pride of Zambia.
The Board is extremely pleased and grateful to Rebecca for her contribution to the business. She retires having
performed consistently well, more recently delivering record results in 2020 and even better half year results for the first half of 2021. I can only wish her and family God’s blessings as she embarks on this next phase of her journey”.
Rebecca’s successor is Oswald Magwenzi, the outgoing Country Managing Director of the Illovo Group’s Eswatini Business Unit, Ubombo Sugar where he served in the role since 2013. Mr. Magwenzi has had an exemplary career in the sugar, irrigation and international finance sectors, working for the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation focusing on agribusiness investments in Eastern and Southern Africa.
