Dr Thomson Mpinganjira Attends the AABLA Business Awards

Malawian entrepreneur Dr Thomson Mpinganjira was recently recognised for his vast achievements in business, being nominated in the grand finale of the Continental Business Awards.

The FDH Financial Holdings founder is Malawi’s first business leader to receive nominations in two prestigious continental business awards, since he has been entered as a finalist representing Southern Africa in both the Entrepreneur of the Year and Business Leader of the Year categories.

Led by Sam Bhembe, non-executive director for CNBC Africa, the judging panel implemented stringent criteria to narrow down the hundreds of finalist applications they received. The finalists were announced on the 20^th September 2018 at a regional gala dinner staged in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

Dr Thomson Mpinganjira’s nomination was a testament to the successful business empire he has built from the ground up. Not only did Thomson Mpinganjira establish FDH Financial Holdings Limited, he also founded First Discount House, FDH Money Bureau, FDH Stockbrokers Limited, and FDH Bank.

Reacting to the nomination, Dr Mpinganjira said he was surprised but honoured to be nominated for the awards. He explained that his greatest desire is to see as many people in his home country of Malawi – and Africa as a whole – rise up, unlocking their potential and achieving great things with their lives. Thomson Mpinganjira explained that he had always wanted to contribute to this goal in his own way, confirming that he would continue to do so. He said that being recognised at such a high level for doing something you believe in comes as a surprise, but is a huge honour for himself, his family, and his country, adding that he owes it to God.

Dr Thomson Mpinganjira explained that entrepreneurship and achievement of greatness are not for the faint hearted. They require persistence and dogged determination. He acknowledged that the nominations reminded him how far he and his team had come in building what FDH Financial Holdings has become.

The All Africa Business Leaders Awards comprise three regional segments – namely East Africa, West Africa, and South Africa – and incorporate a range of categories, including Company of the Year, Businesswoman of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, and Philanthropist of the Year. In the Entrepreneur of the Year category, Dr Mpinganjira’s co-finalists included Collen Tapfumanyi of El Escrow Internacional (Zimbabwe), and Thembalihle Baloyi of Discovery Insure (South Africa), among other prominent figures from the South African business world.