SIMBISA BRANDS LIMITED - Key Persons


Addington Chinake

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Independent Non - Executive Chairman ( Appointed January 2015 )
  • Member of the International Bar Association
Addington is a legal practitioner by profession with more than thirty years of experience in legal services in Zimbabwe. Over the past thirty years his area of specialization has been corporate and commercial law, including mining law, competition law, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising. Addington continues to be involved in a number of significant FDI transactions and a number of other multi-million dollar acquisitions and disposals by foreign companies of equity on Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed entities, financial institutions and major private transactions and Greenfield mining projects. Addington is a member of the International Bar Association and an advisor to the Judicial Service Commission and The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. He is a large benefactor to the Emerald Hill Children's Home for the Deaf and Orphans as its Ambassador. Addington is a past Trustee of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and remains a Top Ranked Commercial Lawyer in Zimbabwe by Chambers and Partners. Addington has sat on the boards of other publicly listed companies and is the current Chairman of Simbisa Brands Limited. He is a member of the Innscor Group Remuneration and Nominations Committees.

Amit Gupta

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Non Executive Director
Amit is a seasoned professional with 18 years of varied experience. A Chartered Accountant and law graduate from India, he started his career with audit in 1997. Soon thereafter, he moved to tax advisory and litigation, representing clients at various appellate stages and at the High Court. Amit worked with the big four chartered accountants: KPMG, E&Y and PwC, in tax advisory, tax litigation and finally in Mergers and Acquisition and International tax structuring, as well as handling commercial law and advisory matters. He then joined Abax Corporate Services (‘Abax') in 2009 as a Senior Executive. More recently, he started his own advisory firm, with focus on business consulting, including operational efficiency, structural efficiency, tax advisory and structuring commercial legal matters. He acted as Independent Director on the Board of several large companies and funds and continues to do so.

Baldwin Guchu - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Group Finance Director
  • Member of the Board of Directors
Baldwin is an MBA graduate from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business with extensive pan-African business experience. He commenced his professional career with PricewaterhouseCoopers Chartered Accountants (Zimbabwe) where he trained and qualified to be a Chartered Accountant. Prior to his appointment as Group Finance Director of Simbisa Brands Limited, Baldwin held various senior roles within the Ecobank Group, a pan-African financial institution. These included Chief Finance Officer for Ecobank Zimbabwe, Regional Business Manager for Ecobank Southern Africa, Regional Chief Finance Officer for Ecobank East Africa and Senior Manager within Ecobank Zimbabwe's Corporate and Investment Banking business. Baldwin was also instrumental in Ecobank's expansion into Mozambique where he subsequently served as a non-executive Board member.

Basil Dionisio - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Group Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of the Board of Directors
An experienced operator with more than 38 years of experience across multiple markets and facets of business. Zimbabwean born and raised, Basil has been with Simbisa since its inception and is a founder shareholder. Prior to his appointment as CEO of Simbisa, Basil served as a Director on the Innscor Africa Limited Board. Basil has an exceptional understanding of the African market as well as extensive operational knowledge of Simbisa's business processes which has led to the instrumental success of the Group's regional fast food expansion program. Basil has also played a key role in establishing the Group's culture and value system; and focuses his efforts on the growing and directing the quick service restaurant business in Zimbabwe and across the greater African region. In his capacity as Group Chief Executive Officer, Basil has overall responsibility for the business.

Jaqueline Hussein

Job Titles:
  • Chartered Accountant
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Non Executive Director
Mrs. Hussein is a Chartered Accountant CA (Z) by profession and currently operates a consulting firm of public accountants called July28, which offers risk, advisory, financial reporting and tax services to a wide array of clients. She has over 20 years' experience including working for Ernst and Young, both in South Africa and Zimbabwe, First Mutual Asset Management as well as with firms in the manufacturing and construction industries. She is currently a Non-Executive Director and Deputy-Chairperson on the boards of FMC Finance Zimbabwe and Zambia, a microfinance institution. She is also involved with organisations that assist young upcoming entrepreneurs.