BY WINSTONE ANTONIO UNITED KINGDOM-BASED and British-born Zimbabwean writer, development economist and technology architect Chenayimoyo Mutambasere says passion and commitment in everything she touches has been her secret to success. Apart from her busy schedules, Mutambasere is also involved in some philanthropic projects back home. Portrayal Chenayi Mutambasere is a wife and doting mum of three. Education While my parents strove to send me to university paying international fees, it was not easy and I subsidised their efforts by working alongside studying. I am a holder of a Master of Science in Development Economics from the University of Manchester and an Economics Bachelor’s degree from the same red brick institution. I took the decision to study for my masters after a trip home (Zimbabwe) made me realise the purpose to return to Zimbabwe one day and make a contribution to the country’s development. It was a tough decision as initially I worked full-time and also studied full-time while being mum to my first two children. It was only made possible by passion and commitment and having access to exceptional professors some of them also being Zimbabwean went a long way in supporting this achievement. Initially I travelled back to the United Kingdom in 1999 with the aim of completing my undergraduate and returning to Zimbabwe to work for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, but the change in economic circumstances would mean that I would stay in the UK post-graduation. Before university, I went to at least five primary schools across Zimbabwe which has been an advantage in giving me an expansive social network. For high school, I am a Thornhill High School and Roosevelt Girls High School alma mater. Profession I put the hours in from the get-go holding down a 30-hour job in a call centre while studying full-time. My first work experience was working in Fleet Street for Thomson Reuters on a year-long internship which exposed me to the world of investment banking and the intricacies of London living. Upon finishing my degree, this experience saw me opting to live in Manchester and pursue an accounting career, landing my first job as a commercial analyst for a co-operative group. After a couple of years, I then decided to take a step back as a new mum and wife, putting my career on hold for a couple of years. I, however, later set up my own firm where I assisted my former lecturer in setting up an accounting practice at the same time being afforded the flexibility of running my home while earning a small income. After a few years, I decided to go back to work, but had a change in career from accounting to policy to process improvement. This afforded me opportunities to work on huge public sector transformational projects improving social care, city council services and even a stint on a Ministry of Justice/Home Office project looking at improving outcomes for first-time offenders and their communities at large. I was also seconded as manager in Manchester’s birth and death registration service so as to experience frontline se