Appointment of Ambassador Juma V. Mwapachu as Non-Executive Director

ABG is pleased to announce the appointment of Ambassador Juma V. Mwapachu (Pictured), Tanzanian national, as an Independent Non-Executive Director, with effect from 14 July 2011.

Ambassador Mwapachu is a law graduate and began his career in the public sector in Tanzania as a State Attorney and subsequently served in the Foreign Office. Following a period as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand Associates, now PricewaterhouseCoopers, he worked as Managing Director of one of the largest private sector Tanzanian business groups before establishing his own consulting group. 

Throughout his career he has been a leading advocate of the creation of a strong and dynamic private sector in Tanzania. 

He was the founding Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in 1988 and served as Chairman of the Confederation of Tanzania industries between 1996 and 2000 as well as Chairman of the East African Business Council from 1999 to 2000. 

During this period, he also served on a number of Presidential Commissions that consolidated Tanzania's market economy and which ushered in a multi-party political system. 

He was a Member of the Team that crafted Tanzania's Development Vision 2025. 

Later, he was appointed as Tanzania’s Ambassador to France, a post he held from 2002 to 2006. 

Following his return to Tanzania,he has played a leading role in the regional integration of East Africa through his immediate past post as Secretary General of the East African Community, a position he held for five years until the end of April this year.

Commenting on the appointment, ABG’s Chairman, Aaron Regent, said: “The Board is delighted to welcome as a new member someone of the calibre of Ambassador Mwapachu. His experience in Tanzania and more broadly in Africa will add a new dimension to the Board and will be of significant value in meeting the challenges of delivering on the strategic objectives of the business.”

These views were echoed by ABG’s Senior Independent Director, Derek Pannell, who added: “During the course of our discussions over recent months, I have been impressed by Ambassador Mwapachu’s knowledge of our operating environment and the issues facing us, together with his passion to see Tanzania and the rest of the African continent succeed. His energy and expertise will bring additional depth to the Board and I greatly look forward to working with him.”

The appointment of Ambassador Mwapuchu brings the number of Board members to ten, including six independent Non-Executive Directors.