Dr Lance Mambondiani is a seasoned banker, having worked as an executive for regional and international financial institutions.
In his acceptance speech on November 15, 2019, Dr Mambondiani said the appointment is a "moment of personal honour" and also of "deep personal responsibility".
"There is perhaps no bigger contributor to the success of contemporary businesses than great customer service. The important role of the CCAZ is highlighted by the fact that service-centric strategies now represent an important aspect of firms' efforts towards enhancing overall revenue and profit, customer acquisition and retention, and competitive differentiation.
"I sincerely believe that delivering exceptional customer service should be the central aim of any organisation in Zimbabwe," said Dr Mambondiani.
The CCAZ was founded in 2010 to cater for contact centre, customer service professionals and companies. It has expanded to become the leading body driving the growth of Zimbabwe's contact centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
CCAZ's other new board members include Marjorie Madamombe from NMB Bank who comes in as vice president; Patricia Mutyavaviri from Zimnat who will be in charge of membership and events; Hazel Chitare from Old Mutual who will head human resources and administration; Tichaona Gandanhamo from Ecobank in charge of finance and sponsorship; Otis Makahamadze from Omni Contact who will head BPO and contact centre industry development; Fungai Chimwamurombe from Zenas Legal Practice in charge of legal counsel, and Velile Dube from ZimTrade who comes in as southern region chairman.
CCAZ secretary general Rinos Mautsa said the diversity of skills in the new board will drive the organisation into the future.
"The new board comes with a rich diversity of skills from the banking, insurance, contact centre and legal sectors, and we have full confidence that they will take CCAZ to that next level," he said. He also thanked the previous board members for their role in the development of the CCAZ.
"I would like to pay tribute to the very important and exceptional role played by the outgoing board which came into being 10 years ago.
"They were instrumental in some of the key growth aspects of the sector. Official numbers show that at least 3 800 are directly employed in the BPO and contact centre space in Zimbabwe; in-house contact centres for internal customer support are more prevalent; a total number of 36 contact centres were set up since 2010."
Meanwhile, the outgoing president Mr Phiri said while contributing to the CCAZ he had also drawn significant lessons.
"I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to serve this organisation for the past 2 years. My time here has been fulfilling, and has also given me the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the workings of the contact centre and BPO industry," he said.
