The Future of CEO’s and services

While much has been said about the 2017 ZOL product launch in the city recently, perhaps few, if any, had the eye to unpack the three pronged beauty of a company that is the breath of gods away from acquiring institutional organisational divinity in a country where leadership and good CEO rapport is desperately scarce.

Perhaps now is the time to culture the fibre that constitutes ZOL’s dynamic fabric and what made the company tick on the night and beyond into the future.

Superboss...Denny Marandure (left) and Supa Mandiwanzira at the ZOL product launch recently.

The CEO

There is something fundamentally wrong with ZOL CEO, Denny Marandure. And one feels for his wife especially. He is perhaps that sort of man who talks in his sleep. For who else can speak so confidently and flawlessly of the operations of the company he leads except someone who practices fluent fluid thought every minute of the day.

The passion and aura of his arrogant grasp of the core business of his company coupled with the humble warmth he shows to his charges is a combination that lacks in many. Elucidating the superiority of the products he was launching on the day and drawing parallels to what his company had promised their clientele the previous year, Denny is the ultimate model of hard work, energy and tireless dedication to flawless service delivery and solemnly keeping promises made to the clientele.

That probably is what sets him apart. While the anachronistic Zimbabwean leader and CEO is the boss who is beyond speaking to the ‘employee on the shop floor’ preferring to hover above the clouds, Denny made the beeline in the event talking to the ‘little man’ it is such a trait that has seen many ‘little’ people being discovered and their genius helping transform the beauty of ZOL as some of the most innovative ideas come from the man without connections in the hierarchy but blessed with the genius to conceive the best of modern world ideas.

His charges individually noted how this well-spoken passionate man was the Swiss army knife of the organisation, able to bore into any department with a view to listening to every voice big or small and with respect for the genius of the little man. And while other archaic dinosaurs in Zimbabwe’s business landscape are stuck in work politics of patronage and haughtiness, this god of oratory and passion has moved ZOL to the first world. He is certainly the future of the Zimbabwean CEO and boss in general.

A quick story is this; a man on holiday in Zimbabwe wanted internet connected to his home round about the time Denny joined ZOL. The technicians refused to connect him saying they would need to cut down all the trees in his yard to guarantee good service. Bewildered I tweeted him on the ridiculous assertion. He was infuriated and within hours had sent an instruction that service be rendered. The service was delivered and to this day that family has great service. That is the mark of a hands on CEO. But the story hasn’t reached the beautiful part. Denny was in fact on holiday in The United States with his family when my tweet reached him and he sacrificed an hour or two fighting for the dignity of the brand. Today he has purged those lazy excuse spinners and ZOL runs like clockwork. Or perhaps clocks now run like ZOL as the latter has become the diamond standard!

Passion for the product

The ambiance of the event showed that here was a team at ZOL that understood the very essence of investment. Cheap is what cheap gets and in order to reap benefits one need not quake with regards spending to celebrate a product.

Without being spendthrift, the ZOL team unveiled their new products with a probably unprecedented air of passion as evidenced from the sheer beauty of the set on which they made their bold announcement. Reminiscent of any internet technology company’s stage work and spending anywhere in the first world, the event was glitzy, glamorous and on point. It could have been any city; London, Los Angeles, Seoul Korea. It could have been any company; O2, Verizon, Samsung. It could have been any boss; Mark Evans, Lowell C McAdam, Chi Hun Choi. Instead it was Harare, ZOL and Denny Marandure.

Add to that, the company’s ability to rise above petty politics to embrace their minister Supa Mandiwanzira, who was himself flawless on the night, was evidence that a company that is poised for the future and loves its worth and brand is never grounded by pettiness but rather fuelled by synergies. The synergy with Supa on the day proved mature, refreshing and forward looking. At a time when many companies cut corners and drive out the talent that shines when it comes to incorporating world trends, ZOL knows a genius when it sees one and that is what is propelling them to the front. People who are passionate about the brand and run departments like their very own need to be embraced and nurtured rather than frustrated. The ZOL love for passion was almost palpable on the day. It then dawned upon me why ZOL’s new gem, Delta Milayo Ndou had specifically invited me to the event. As someone who whinges about great quality and strength of brands, she was sure I would have an eye out to see how truly impressive the product was. Her confidence was not misplaced. In both my genius and that of her company and CEO.

The Product

No amount of beauty can make up for an ugly product and this is perhaps where I had to take more time to analyse before writing. I am NOT a user of ZOL products because let’s face it, the entry costs for non-fibre users who prefer Mi-Fi have become ludicrous. From the dongle costing around $50 in the beginning it now costs well up to $80! Yet I had to analyse the reliability of the product and whether indeed the leopard at ZOL is truly that superfast. Terrence Musiyiwa, a long-time client, agreed to give feedback and also offered a test run of their MI-Fi product. The result? Denny was right to be brimming with confidence with regards the ZOL story.

Add to that, those who have already started on the products launched on that particular night are singing praises to the efficiency and the low running costs especially of off peak browsing.

Herewith a consolidated look at the products launched in 2017:

One of the products; the Night Owl, gives customers more data upon topping up a small amount of money to current packages to enjoy faster speeds during the night. With Night Owl you add $6 to your package you get 50GB. It runs from 11 to 6am. So now you can wake up at 10pm and go to sleep at 6am after some affordable browsing. This one $39 on Night Owl, add $8, 70GB. 

In summation? This is one company which has a package for everyone. Well almost! And I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the upgraded products for anyone who wants to live in the future. A toast to ZOL!

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