Norfund has a new Regional Director for Southern Africa, Pindie Nyandoro. With a background from banking, Pindie is a self-described enthusiastic newcomer to the Development Finance world. Her long career with companies like Unilever, Standard Bank Africa, Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe, and Standard Chartered Bank has now brought her to Norfund. While visiting the Oslo office she talked to Communication Adviser Indigo Trigg-Hauger about her journey to the new position and what excites her about Norfund.
What drew you to Norfund?
I think I’ve always admired DFIs from a distance. When you’re African, and working with banks, you hear a lot about DFIs. So when the opportunity came, there was this history [for me]. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It coincided with the fact that I liked the developmental, the impact side, that DFIs tend to have as part of their mandate.
One of the Norfund values is “make a difference”. How do you think we can make the most difference?
I think because I am African, Zimbabwean by birth, I believe that as a general rule there is just too much to be done and not enough people to do it. So Norfund is well placed to play a fairly significant role in changing lives within the continent. Especially when you look at the more mundane things that people take for granted. By that I’m looking at access firstly to infrastructure, so if you look at things like transport, energy, water, I think there’s a lot that Norfund has done, continues to do, and can do going forward. Changing lives, if I can call it that.
“I think there is a lot that can be done in terms of just making sure that the impact is actually noticeable and we are able to build on that as opposed to making a difference and then leaving it at that and starting something completely different. Build on what has been done in the past in making sure that the level of impact is a lot bigger than maybe what we have achieved previously.”
What are you most excited to work with?
People. I am a people person. I find it very easy to mix and get along with people. I feel I learn more from talking to people, not just formally, like in meetings, but over a bite. I’ve been training for the past three days, and the amount of knowledge I’ve learned about Norfund as an organization, Norway as a country, and other places like Thailand, Costa Rica, the other countries where we have a presence has been absolutely amazing. This knowledge has come via informal channels like lunch time chats as opposed to sitting behind a desk or in a formal meeting.
I’ve only been in Norfund for two weeks, but one of the most outstanding things that I’ve noticed about Norfund is the number of young people within this organization. And for me, having been, I’ll call it “around the world” a few times, I think there is so much to learn from them. Of course, I also have a lot to impart, so hopefully it a win – win outcome! So for me the its all about people, and we work through people, we achieve through people. Building those bridges and networks is going to be excellent.
I’ve been amazed at the level of warm welcome I’ve had. Although I’ve met people for just a few days or one week, it feels like I have known them for months or years. I feel at home. I want to thank everyone for the very pleasant welcome I’ve had. I’m looking forward to being part and parcel of this amazing family.