Elias Ngalande, governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, addressing executives.
“Executives are people who don’t easily come to our meetings,” said Karl Chokotho, chairman of the evangelism committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Malawi. “We wanted to minister to people who we often forget when we do our regular evangelistic campaigns. We therefore had to do something that would suit them in an environment that they could easily relate in.”
Meeting business executives at their point of need became the focus of a three-day “Executive Seminar” sponsored by the Adventist Church in Malawi, June 1-3. More than 100 people attended the seminar, held at the city’s Mount Soche Hotel, organized by the Kabula Hill Adventist Church.
In his keynote address, Elias Ngalande, Reserve Bank of Malawi governor, talked about how the Malawian economy was performing and what role he plays as governor to ensure order and sanity in the economy.
Ngalande urged participants to network as executives: “I find this seminar unique in that it affords executives an opportunity to network. When we network we will discover ways of tackling economic issues and help to put our economy on course.”
The seminar highlighted contemporary issues and how executives can respond. Luxon Zembe, a management consultant from Harare, Zimbabwe, spoke on global trends, business ethics and corporate governance. Zembe, a Seventh-day Adventist who has served as an elder at Highlands Adventist Church for many years, spoke on the need for executives to move with the trends of times and manage change “lest change manages you.”
Zembe noted that the only thing that was constant in the modern world was change: “There is a need for us to keep growing through learning,” he said.
Several medical practitioners tackled lifestyle issues affecting most executives. Stress management, diabetes and obesity were discussed. Free medical checkups were also provided.
Tom Mpinganjira, founder and chief executive officer of First Discount House shared from experience how he tries to his work life and family concerns. Mpinganjira, an Adventist and one of Malawi’s top corporate executives, highlighted the role God plays in his business and family life. “God,” he said, “is everything to me.”