Startup Story
Shádia Gafur Chachine is the founder of Mbira Advisory, a consulting company specializing in people management in Mozambique. She has 15 years of professional experience, mostly in NGOs, of which 4 are in project management in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and 11 years in the area of HR, people management. With this experience Shádia acquired an understanding of international standards, dealt with a diversity of people, cultures and different realities, always in close collaboration with those responsible for the departments/areas in the organization, to ensure that all tasks were carried out in compliance with organizational growth and challenges. It was in this context that during the COVID pandemic, when the effects of the pandemic were already being felt in the work area, she decided to create Mbira, with the aim of contributing to the well-being of people in the work environment.
LoA spoke to founder Shádia Gafur Chachine about her business, her ambitions for the future, and her passion for people management and employee wellbeing.
What does your company do?
Mbira Advisory, is a consulting company specializing in people management in Mozambique. We identify the potential solutions for all the areas related with HR departments, and our methodology starts by doing structured interviews to better adapt to the real needs of the company. We have 3 major areas: one for administrative tasks like procedures, forms, and organization rules and policies; the day-by-day operations of the HR department; and the expatriate employee legalization in Mozambique. The second area is focused on the recruitment process, and the third area is the well-being for the employees, where we make a diagnosis to understand the bottlenecks related to behavioral and inter-personal skills of the company's employees and create programs and activities aimed at mental, physical and psychological health.
What inspired you to start your company?
I am a sociologist and really enjoy working and dealing with social aspects related to people's behavior. In early 2021, when the effects of the pandemic were already being felt in the workplace, I decided to create Mbira, with the goal of contributing to the well-being of people in the work environment, because I believe that the balance between the areas of professional expertise and mental and emotional health are directly related to productivity and goal achievement.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
One of the responsibilities of the HR department is to clarify the responsibilities, duties and rights of both employees and employers. We believe that it is not enough to clarify, it is necessary to identify and address their behavioral and interpersonal competencies. And it’s through different activities related to the employees' physical, mental and psychological health that people will become more committed and aligned to create value to the company.
Tell us a little about your team
Our team consists of myself and Simran Gulab who is a student in people management. She adds value to Mbira by bringing new perspectives to the challenges we have during the consultation work.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My background was not that of an entrepreneur. It was through the experience I gained with international standards, dealing with a diversity of people and different cultures across, working in collaboration with the heads of departments/areas of international organizations (at all levels), that encouraged me to create my own company and pursue my dreams and implement proven methodologies.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
There are several differences between managing people as an employee of a company and managing people as an independent consultant. In this case as an entrepreneur, and for me, one of the big differences that makes me happy to be an entrepreneur specifically in people management is the possibility to have autonomy to implement proven methodologies in the way I believe will work for each case, each company and each group of employees.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Choose something you are passionate about, something you enjoy doing, plan it, focus on it, adapt and learn from challenges and never give up.
Contact or follow Mbira Advisory
Email: shadia@mbiraadvisory.com
Website: http://www.mbiraadvisory.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbiradvidory
Why LoA loves it…
There is something very rewarding about helping businesses to create positive, healthy, and productive work environments, and that is what drives Mozambican entrepreneur Shádia Gafur Chachine in her business. She has a passion for people management and has built a specialist consulting business that aims to contribute to the well-being of people in the work environment. It’s good to see a focus on helping companies to take care of their people so every individual employee can fulfill their potential - and Shádia is playing her part in that aim. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa