Tinashe Mutarisi, the chief excutive officer of Nash Paints — a fast-growing indigenous paint company — is a man of few words, but his hunger for success is second to none.
BY TAKEMORE MAZURUSE
From humble beginnings and starting off with a run-down paint company branch at Chikwanha Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza, Nash Paints has grown to become a respected brand, in the process winning numerous accolades. Their focus now is on introducing new innovations while making forays into the regional market.
The man behind the brand that Nash Paints is, believes the champion paint company still has a lot to offer and would keep reinventing it to conquer the region and beyond.
True to the company’s impeccable business acumen, Nash Paints continues bagging award after award following recent achievements where they won the second runner-up award in the Marketers Association Super Brand Awards for Best Promotion for a campaign that features their brand ambassador and musician Alick Macheso.
“Just this week, we won three awards at the annual Zimbabwe Business Awards as Nash Paints, apart from some that were directly won by me as the chief executive officer,” said Mutarisi.
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“The first accolade was the Zimbabwe Top Business Leader of the Year — Paint and Construction industry, which was directed to me, followed by the Zimbabwe Top Businessman of the Year, again in my name.”
He said Nash Paints also won the Zimbabwe Top leadership Excellence Award as well as the Zimbabwe Top Brand Paint and Construction Industry 2015 award.
“We are really humbled by this recognition and we are greatly encouraged as we work on growing our influence into the region and beyond,” Mutarisi said.
“Like the wise say, if you aspire you must never retire but re-fire to acquire that which you desire.”
He said they had started from humble beginnings and grew from strength to strength, thanks to unity of purpose and a shared quest for success.
“Nash Paints is a leading paint manufacturing and distribution company in Zimbabwe, with stakes in automotive, decorative and industrial paints in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“We started in 2006 in Chitungwiza and to be honest with you, it hasn’t been an easy road. From that one little branch at Chikwanha, we have grown into a network of 19 branches across Zimbabwe. We started with a staff compliment of four, but we are now more than 120 and growing.”
The Nash Paints boss also revealed that while the going is generally tough for most businesses in Zimbabwe, one’s approach to business can have a bearing on their survival in the cut-throat industry.
“At Nash Paints, we are driven by the need to exhibit the highest degree of professionalism by developing innovative solutions to meet our customers’ unique needs and expectations. That has separated us from other players in the industry and we keep growing with each passing day,” he said.
Mutarisi, who could not be drawn into saying much about his background, said he had a humble upbringing just like most Zimbabweans, but attributed the Nash Paints’ success to sheer determination and seizing opportunities as they arise.
“I never had it on a silver platter, but realising that opportunities abound for everyone and of course utilising the space given by government, I had to work on setting up a wholly indigenous business which, from the look of things, is capturing a meaningful niche in the market,” he said.
“Success is never about your background, but how you exert yourself against all odds. I can say it is early days, but we are striving to grow our market share moving into the future.”
He said he was looking at expanding the business.
“We will soon be opening a state-of-the-art plant, which produces 50 000 litres of paint per day.” Mutarisi said.
“The vision is to grow the brand beyond the confines of the motherland. We will continue delivering winning solutions through reliability, flexibility, responsiveness, innovative products and exemplary citizenship.”
While acknowledging the support of their stakeholders and clients, Mutarisi said they were also cognisant of the needs of the communities they serve and Nash Paints has embarked on corporate social responsibility initiatives.
“We are what we are because of the communities that we dwell in and it is against this background that we cherish giving back to the communities that we work with. We are a brand for the people, so we cannot operate in separation from them,” said the businessman.
“Our notable community initiatives include among others, the Swift safety campaign in partnership with Harare Junior Council, painting of pedestrian crossings at schools, Avondale Clinic painting and partnerships with the National Association of School Heads in athletics, among many other initiatives,” he said.
The Nash Paints boss said in an industry infested with many players, their modus operandi has enabled them to remain relevant.
