Dr. Mandas Marikanda, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank (ZWMB). She has passion for financial inclusion for excluded communities such as rural population and disadvantaged groups including youths, young girls, orphans and women. She has more than 26 years’ experience in development finance designing innovative financial interventions such as group savings, implementation of microfinance, innovative lending initiatives in rural communities and is a seasoned consultant and accredited trainer for ICT/ILO Making Microfinance work. She has been working with women and youths offering practical initiatives for entrepreneurship, employability among youths and young women. Dr. Mandas was Executive Director for Pundutso Microfinance (a World Vision partner) and as part of the World Vision fraternity, she undertook various assignments in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia.

She has many awards including the following: Overall Winner of the Zimbabwe Institute of Management  2018 National Leadership Excellence Awards – Northern Region; Overall National Winner of the Zimbabwe Institute of Management 2018 National Leadership Excellence Awards; Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Winner CEO of the Year   Women in Enterprise Conference Awards 2018; Mega Fest Bronze Award Winner CEO of the Year 2019; Proweb Women CEO of the year 2019 and Zim Life Agricultural Merit Award Women in Agriculture Award – 2020.

She has a PHD in Economic Empowerment and microfinance from Aldersgate College Philippines. She is a holder of an MBA in leadership with Eastern University of USA and an HRUP (Honours) degree from the University of Zimbabwe