David Machingaidze

The Mastercard Foundation 2014 - 2015

Alumni

Legatum Fellow

From:

Zimbabwe

Sector:

Agriculture

Location:

Zimbabwe

Degree:

MBA, Sloan School of Management

AgriFin improves the yields of small-scale cotton and maize producers in Zimbabwe by offering high-quality seeds and fertilizers, training, and financing. Farmers produce higher quality crops and become partners in the agriculture value chain by accessing credit for inputs and contracting to sell their crops to AgriFin. The enterprise gives thousands of communal farmers resources to meet international demand for maize and cotton and receive higher prices for their crops.

Having spent nine years as a CEO in the agriculture industry, David has worked with farmers of all sizes and understands the myriad of challenges communal farmers face, particularly in drought prone areas. From these collective experiences, David is building a market-driven solution to improve the yields of small farmers and empower local farming communities.

A seasoned strategist, David has turned around five companies under conditions of hyperinflation. He has substantial accounting experience and spent five years negotiating high-value finance deals as a CFO.

David holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of South Africa and has completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. He is an MBA candidate at the Sloan School of Management.