Zim woman breaks barriers

NETONE public relations executive Eldrette Shereni has been appointed president of the Zimbabwe-India Business Council.

Eldrette Shereni, NetOne public relations executive

An astute chartered marketer and turnaround specialist with global leadership experience, Shereni has been instrumental in developing watertight operational models that deliver sustainable return on investment in blue-chip counters such as CBZ Holdings and NetOne among others.

With her latest appointment, Shereni is now part of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI), an organisation dedicated to inspiring women to achieve success and economic independence through business creation and self-employment, growing one’s voice, influence and impact in economy and society.

“This appointment shows the importance of networking and being part of global forums such as the Women Economic Forum which I attended in 2017 and 2018. Two years down the line, they remembered my active participation in the past and reached out with this nomination which I gladly accepted,” she told The Financial Gazette.

“It’s not only a boost of confidence in women but also in our country as a whole as it provides a platform for Zimbabwean women to add their voices to the global conversations around gender inclusion and the emancipation of women across the socio economic divide.”

WICCI promotes and supports business success for its members through network building, fellowship, mentorship and sponsorship of select endeavors. Through members’ initiatives and collaborative relationships, the organisation promotes professional opportunities for economic success and business leadership.
Shereni said networks such as these are good platforms for capacity building, ideas exchange and identifying opportunities that can be adopted from various markets and the lessons from these can then be tailored to improve the growth and development of women at a local and continental level.

“Obviously such opportunities can only open up trade promotion, and the marketing of local products and talent beyond our borders,” she added.
With belief in the collective strength of women in effecting change and transformation, WICCI actively creates and promotes local and global networks nurturing the growth of women-owned businesses and cooperation for greater trade, trust and togetherness.

By unifying the collective strength of women, WICCI engages in advocacy and assistance with regard to government legislation, policy making and implementation of projects that directly or indirectly influence and impact women’s greater wellbeing in economy and society.
With an inclusive ethos, WICCI always seeks the active participation of women across all tiers of society, awakening awareness and aspiration toward self-enterprise, economic participation and societal leadership.

Shereni also indicated that social entrepreneurship models are key in the development of women as they move from financial inclusion to financial independence.
“Women generally work well in teams and tend to organise themselves quite well and the mix in our Council allows for a broad representation of the needs of women in various economic sectors as well as social demographics,” she said, adding that such groupings also create opportunities for women to commercialise their talents and scale up on some of their hobbies.
“For example, simple packaging can add value to a product,” Shereni said.