18 •
The Lion King
• April - June 2017
INVEST NOW: MOZAMBIQUE ABOUT
TO ENTER SIGNIFICANT GROWTH
PHASE -
HELDER CHAMBISSE, CEO,
UBA MOZAMBIQUE
BY NONSO NDUANYA
GROWING THE SEED
What has the experience been like
since you assumed this role?
It has been a rewarding challenge in
the sense that although still relatively
small in Mozambique, we are a large
Group, with complex processes and
systems. To translate those capabilities
into the market and combine with the
opportunities the local market offers,
is a challenge that would excite any
banking manager.
I also joined when the Group is under-
going this massive transformation to
reach new heights so the turnaround
we are doing in Mozambique is also
part of this large process being driven
from the Centre.
What does it mean for you to be the
CEO of UBA Mozambique?
A challenge as I mentioned above
but a good one; the Group is large,
unfortunately the penetration in
Mozambique has been difficult but
the opportunities are immense. It’s a
privilege to be part of a pan-African
Group with an entrepreneurial mind
set and my role has been to repli-
cate that in Mozambique and look-
ing at putting the bank as a relevant
player in the market, make it a great
place to work for young and talent-
ed Mozambican banking profession-
als and a positive contributor to the
economy and Mozambican society.
Any major achievements so far?
The main achievement so far has
been the stabilization of the bank
and put it back on a growing path;
the engagement with the regulator,
key customers and other stakehold-
ers is now positive and we can look
to the future with confidence and
focus on business growth. Staff morale
and engagement have improved
although we are still without the desir-
able performance.
We still have a lot of work to do to
achieve our goals, but the prospects
are much brighter now.
What are your plans for UBA
Mozambique and how do you intend
to achieve them?
To keep pursuing business growth and
make UBA a relevant player in the
market, with a solid market share,
a “go-to” bank for key players of
the main segment and sectors of the
market and a great place to work
for, attracting and developing young
and talented professionals. We want
to combine strong financial perfor-
mance with relevance and contribu-
tion to the economy and society; a
bank that matters for peers, regula-
tors, the authorities and the general
public.
The main factor for achieving this is
our relationship and service to our
customers. Servicing our customers
distinctively, contributing to the suc-
cess of businesses and welfare of our
individual customers, we ensure strong
financial performance, and this is the
starting point. The focus is on servicing
the customer well.
What do you love most about
Mozambique, why?
It’s about its people; Mozambicans
are generally gentle, friendly, respect-
ful and humble. They will engage with
anyone, provided of course intentions
are harmless. The landscape (most-
ly the beaches, of course) and the
An economist by training,
Helder Chambisse began his
banking journey 21 years ago in
Mozambique.
Chambisse cut his teeth at the
Central Bank of Mozambique.
After 5 years with the policy
makers and regulators, his quest
for more exciting challenges
made him move to commercial
banking, starting as a Credit
Admin Manager and then moving
to Risk Management and finally
Corporate Banking. He has been
in executive management since
2008. He spent 15 years with
BancABC before joining UBA in
2016 as the MD/CEO of UBA
Mozambique.
Chambisse shares his views on
fatherhood, doing business in
Mozambique, and plans for UBA
Mozambique.
