BY CHIEDZA KOWO
ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange- listed retail giant OK Zimbabwe says its CEO Alex Siyavora will leave the group at the end of next month, after assuming the role just over two years ago.
He will be replaced by (operations and marketing) Maxen Karombo, according to OK Zimbabwe chairman Herbert Nkala.
“The company’s group chief executive officer will be retiring from the company with effect from 31 March 2021,” Nkala said in a market update released on Friday.
The outgoing OK Zimbabwe CEO joined Zimbabwe’s largest retail operation as finance director in 2001 before rising to his current role in 2017, taking over from the illustrious Willard Zireva who left after steering the firm for about 16 years.
A highlight of Siyavora’s tenure was overseeing an extensive refurbishment of the group’s 67 branches, along with leading a rebranding and innovation programme that is meant to position the group to take on stiff competition from a cluster of recent entrants into the market.
The group operates some of the country’s most recognised retail outfits, including bon marche, OK Mart and the OK Supermarket chain.
During Siyavora’s tenure OK was named winner of the top performing companies listed on the ZSE in 2018.
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OK also received runner-up awards in 2019 and 2020, among other accolades, while it extended its store footprint across the country.
“Mr Maxen P Karombo will be appointed to the position of group chief executive officer with effect from the 5th of April 2021,” said Nkala.
“Max is a marketer by profession, and business leader by practice. He joins OK Zimbabwe from Delta Corporation where he was executive director (operations and marketing) for 10 years,” he said.
Karombo earned a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Technology Management (Hons) degree from the University of Zimbabwe.
“He was first certified as a chartered marketer in 1999 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and is a recipient of the Outstanding Marketing Personality of the Year from the Marketers Association Zimbabwe,” Nkala said.
