Hempac Holdings, a business group offering solutions and services needed by local communities, and creating jobs in Zimbabwe

Emilia Chisango, a trail blazing chartered accountant and multi-award winner is the visionary founder and Chairman of Hempac Group. With just over 3 decades of experience in both corporate and entrepreneurship worlds, Emilia has made a mark through the journey travelled. At 27, she broke barriers as the first black female partner at KPMG, also becoming the youngest ever partner at the firm. At the age of 36, she went on to make history as the first female president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe (ICAZ) in its 90 year old history then, and also became its youngest ever president. The Hempac Group comprises a fitness equipment retail outfit, a school (comprising ECD up to high school), clothing manufacturing unit, and the Agrobusiness unit. Having founded Hempac in 2009, Emilia only left the corporate world to concentrate on her businesses in 2021. Today, the business has created jobs for 100 people.

Lioness Weekender spoke to the inspirational Emilia Chisango to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey, her experience of transitioning from the corporate world to building a business empire of her own, and her vision for the future.

What does your company do?

It’s a group comprising: a fitness equipment retail outfit, a school (comprising Early Childhood Development up to high school), a clothing manufacturing unit specialising in school uniforms and branded corporate wear, and an agrobusiness unit comprising tractor and implements hiring business.

What inspired you to start your company?

While still in formal employment and just coming out of a severe hyper-inflationary period that saw pension fund balance sheets being decimated, I was determined to start an enterprise that I would be in control of which would cater for my retirement years. That gave birth to the Hempac dream.

What makes your business, service or product special?

My business is all about making an impact by offering relevant solutions to the current problems facing the community. I am intentional about impactful investment.

Tell us a little about your team

My core team comprises my executive assistant, Chiedza Masangudza; the group Chief Executive Officer, Paulina Runesu; the group administration manager, Chido Runesu; and the group finance manager, Michelle Chiororo.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

For some, entrepreneurship is taught in school - for others, it is thrust upon them. Growing up with my “Chief Hustler mother” thrust in me a mentality to always look for business opportunities in the environment around me. From the age of 8, my mother would give us whatever was in season for sale to carry to school and sell during break and lunch time. She always threw in extras which one was free to consume or sell and pocket the proceeds. Thus I was trained on choices quite early on in life. When I went to boarding school at 12, I quickly realized that the pocket money my mother gave me was not only very little compared to the average kid, but was way too little to take me through the term. Armed with the entrepreneurial skills garnered in primary school, at the beginning of the second term in boarding, I decided to order sweets with my pocket money for resale to other students at school. Thus this cycle continued for my 7 years in boarding school and this is how I managed to have a fairly decent life at boarding school.

I took a break from this need induced entrepreneurship streak when I finished high school in 1991 and bounced back to a passion driven entrepreneurship in 2009 when I set-up my sports retail and clothing manufacturing businesses. In 2019, I launched the recreational business. The sports retail business was born out of the identification for fitness as a key necessity in modern life, where a number of people are office bound and hence not ordinarily active. Our business offers all forms of indoor fitness equipment, from small weights to big machines. The clothing manufacturing enterprise focusses on producing school uniforms and corporate wear. From handling the school uniforms business, we identified a gap in recreational and decent sports facilities for school children and the youths in Harare South and this led to us setting up a fairly elaborate recreational centre mainly for children, but also suitable for adults. In the heart of Southlea Park, you will find a massive children’s play centre, swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, volley ball courts and lovely gardens for functions.

Agribusiness has been an ongoing venture borne out of passion and we are quickly turning it into a significant commercial venture in line with the Agricultural Revolution hitting the country right now.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

Future plans and aspirations for my company are centered on further developing the school and expanding the agribusiness. These are the two main pillars that I see carrying the Hempac flag going forward.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

The most satisfaction is looking at the number of families that have been positively impacted through our employees. For the school and recreational facility, the satisfaction I get from seeing the transformation brought about by our investment in the community is second to none!

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Believe in your story, believe in your abilities and never dwell too much on your challenges! Acknowledge them and always be looking for the smallest hole out of any challenge and squeeze through!

Don’t exaggerate your problems, stand up, dust off, and run because no one is coming to get you!

To find out more about Emilia Chisango and her business, Hempac Holdings, send an email to: emiliachisango.chisango@gmail.com