CA Tandi Nzimande 'excited' to be named new CEO of the Solidarity Fund

The Solidarity Fund has appointed Amanda Tandiwe Nzimande as CEO.

Nzimande, who was formally endorsed on Tuesday during a board meeting, will be taking over from outgoing CEO Nomkhita Nqweni.

“I am very excited to begin my work with the fund as CEO. I look forward to working with Gloria, the full executive committee team and all the volunteers who have done such incredible work for SA during the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

Nzimande said the next few days would be busy as she will be attending meetings and handovers.

The Solidarity Fund said in a statement that her work, which is not only in major financial institutions but also in the development and empowerment fields, places her in an ideal position to lead the fund as it moves into a new phase and continues its important work to meet its mandate.

Chair of the fund Gloria Serobe said the job was one of passion, and she looked forward to working with Nzimande.

“It requires commitment, determination and a core belief in the power we South Africans have to beat any challenge when we stand together. The fund has been blessed to work with such a dedicated team led by Nomkhita, and on behalf of the board I would like to express my gratitude for the solid ground she has laid. I look forward to working with Tandi as we take the fund into the future,” she said.

Nzimande is a chartered accountant who started her post-articles career as a corporate finance adviser at Deutsche Bank. After that, she acquired and ran a small business in the postal and courier industry for four years. During that period, she did work for WDB Investment Holdings (WDBIH), a women’s empowerment company where she eventually spent 14 years. She was most recently at Chapter One Innovation Brokerage, a business model research & development firm.

She joined the Hollard Foundation Trust as trustee in 2013 and started working closely with its early childhood development programme, KYB Change Management and KYB Incubator, as well as its youth employment accelerator programme, Harambee. She is a board member of FirstRand, a trustee of the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation and a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative.

The fund said it will continue working to support the national effort in providing aid and support to those affected by Covid-19.

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