Modesta Jeremia Malima
Mbeya
Summary
Modesta Malima is a results-driven professional with over 15 years of experience spearheading financial inclusion, gender issues and development, safeguarding, protection, diversity and inclusion and community empowerment initiatives. She has a proven track record in microfinance, excelling in strategic planning, credit and risk management, and human resource development. Very passionate about driving change, particularly in rural finance and agricultural development. She's known for her innovative approach, strategic acumen, and ability to build and inspire high-performing teams and is deeply committed to creating sustainable economic opportunities for underserved populations.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Development Programmes Manager
ROHI COMPANY LTD
01.2025 - Current
- Directly reporting to Executive Director
- Supervises: Project Management, Financial Inclusion, MEAL, Compliance & Reporting teams
- Oversees the planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the company's development programs or projects, particularly focusing on areas like financial inclusion and ensuring compliance.
- Key Responsibilities:
- Manage the program/project lifecycle;
- Oversee project management activities;
- Lead financial inclusion initiatives;
- Manage Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) frameworks;
- Ensure compliance with donor/regulatory requirements;
- Manage program budgets and reporting.
Regional Manager Southern Region, Tanzania
VISION FUND MICROFINANCE BANK (VFT MFB)
02.2023 - 12.2024
- Directly reporting to the Chief Operation Officer
- Conducted the budgeting process using the bottom-up approach with Loan Officers, Supervisors, branch Managers by use of market research, manpower planning tools, and clustering
- Child safeguarding and protection, diversity and inclusion
- Training and mentoring of branch credit staffs (Loan Officers, Supervisors,) in credit analysis, human resource management and hiring manager at regional level and business development and increasing lending capacity utilization
- Drove the deepening of rural financing in Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe and Songea through provision of agriculture loans, and a well-designed loan product for rural economy and establishing partnerships with institutions working with famers and low-income entrepreneurs and farmers.
Head of Commercial
FINCA Microfinance Bank
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Responsible for directly leading teams in the Branch Network.
- Sets annual performance targets considering profitability, quality, and efficiency.
- Utilizes SMART objectives.
- Involves staff, team and clients input and considers business.
- Direct Business Expansion strategy.
- Strategically develops outreach and expansion plans.
- Identifies new markets, regions, and clients.
- Coordinates with COO and MB to grow the institution through careful expansion systems and plans.
- Participates in the negotiation of the major project initiatives with regards to Branch network expansion.
- Participate in the preparation of the business plans relating to business expansion including new strategic partnerships.
- As a business leader, the Head of Commercial is responsible of delivering a superior customer experience across all FINCA service delivery channels.
- Ensures that the process of customer acquisition and service delivery across all branches and other service points is anchored on delivering a consistently superior customer experience.
- Ensures Branches comply to internal control and regulatory policies, procedures and systems by reviewing, developing and continually improving policies, systems and processes to comply with lending, security, human resources and other internal and statutory requirements.
- Recommends appropriate changes to policy, procedures, and processes to ensure application of sound credit and risk management.
Ag. Chief Commercial Officer
FINCA Microfinance Bank
01.2019 - 12.2020
- As a business leader, the Chief Commercial Officer, is responsible of delivering a superior customer experience across all FINCA service delivery channels.
- Ensures that the process of customer acquisition and service delivery across all branches and other service points is anchored on delivering a consistently superior customer experience.
- Managed to focus the team at fragile time of senior leadership transition and outperformed the loan disbursement target by increasing from 50% to 92%.
- Increased the brand awareness and building good relationship with the key stakeholders.
- Improved FINCA Microfinance Bank branch staff morale through engagement, clear communication and maintaining fair treatment and inspiring for career growth.
- Lead the change management team to buy in the change of the institution status and embrace savings as one of the core products in FINCA.
Regional Manager
FINCA Microfinance Bank
07.2013 - 12.2018
- Lead Operations team in delivering financial services to over 82,000 marginalized micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs in deposits in 18 regions with 23 branches network throughout Tanzania.
- Conducting strategic alignment, starting with the vision, company values, goals, and objectives.
- Design and implement the business planning process including budgeting and operating plans for 23 branch offices.
- Actively monitor and manage performance to ensure adherence to set targets, as outlined in the strategic plan and budgets.
- Designed and executed performance management system and staff development plans for staff performing below expectations.
Branch Manager
FINCA Microfinance Bank
10.2009 - 09.2012
- Managed all the branch operations, assets and Human resources and particularly instituting the change management in FINCA Tanzania’s largest branch holding 30% of the loan portfolio.
- Improved FINCA Microfinance Bank branch staff morale through engagement, clear communication and maintaining fair treatment and inspiring for career growth.
- Lead the change management team to buy in the change of the institution status and embrace savings as one of the core products in FINCA.
- Lead Operations team in delivering financial services to over 82,000 marginalized micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs in deposits in 18 regions with 23 branches network throughout Tanzania.
- Conducting strategic alignment, starting with the vision, company values, goals, and objectives.
- Design and implement the business planning process including budgeting and operating plans for 23 branch offices.
- Actively monitor and manage performance to ensure adherence to set targets, as outlined in the strategic plan and budgets.
- Designed and executed performance management system and staff development plans for staff performing below expectations.
Credit Supervisor
FINCA Microfinance Bank
11.2006 - 09.2009
- Working together with other partners to support the agricultural value chain and entrepreneurs for better success of the intended vision.
- Managed team of Village Bank Credit Officers directly involved in credit analysis, disbursement, monitoring and recovery.
- Visit farmers and entrepreneurs for their agriculture and business proceedings and support for improvement direct or indirect.
- Trained and mentored credit officers on microfinance lending by impact methodology.
- Planned disbursement targets for the branch team to meet monthly, quarterly, and annual targets.
- Performed monthly risk analysis of the loan portfolio by sector, geographical location and amount to reflect practical world realities.
- Conducted planning and budgeting for clustered loan disbursements.
Credit Officer
FINCA Microfinance Bank
10.2002 - 11.2006
- Mobilizing, training small entrepreneurs and farmers especially marginalized women on assets creation and improving their standard of living in health and economics through doing income generating activities.
- Mobilizing and training farmers individual or in groups so that they access funds for more production and linkage with other stakeholders to support the agricultural and grow Agric- business.
- Conducted credit appraisals, disbursement, monitoring and recovery of loans to Village Bank clients.
- Built a well-performing portfolio of over 500 Village Banking clients with PAR of less than 1%.
- Performed business evaluations of potential clients, assessed credit risk analysis and recommend relevant loan amounts to individual group members.
- Provided regular training and consultation to clients on loan management to make sure life standard is met.
- Increased program outreach through identifying, promoting, mobilizing Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs).
- Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills in delivering sales and outreach presentations.
Education
MSc - Community Economic Development
Open University of Tanzania (OUT)
Dar es salaam12-2023
Bachelor of Science - Home Economics and Human Nutrition
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
Morogoro11-2006
Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education -
Maswa Girls Secondary School
Shinyanga05-2002
Certificate of Secondary Education -
Mazengo Secondary School
Dodoma11-1999
Primary school certificate -
Naura Primary School
Arusha09-1995
Skills
- MS Office (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Publisher, PowerPoint)
- Internet and E-mail network
Awards
- Quarterly Customer Experience Award, 03/01/2018
- Best Branch Manager, 06/01/2011
- Best Supervisor, 03/01/2010
References
- Issa Ngwegwe, CEO & FOUNDER, BRIDGE CO LTD, P.O. Box 78783, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, +255 774 442 657, issangwegwe@gmail.com
- Joseph Mirumbe Mwita, Head of LEGAL AND COMPANY SECRETARY, VISION FUND MICROFINANCE BANK, P.O. Box 1546, Arusha, Tanzania, +255 713 040 552, josephmirumbe@yahoo.com
Training
- Training on Agriculture Value Chain Financing, September 2014, at AFRICAN SCHOOL OF MICROFINANCE (SAM), MOMBASA , KENYA
- Regional Manager Training, January 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Training on loan operations management, 02/01/07, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania conducted by FINE LINE
- AWE (Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, Dec. 2024, Arusha) is conducted by the US Embassy
- Empowering Women Entrepreneurs for Rural Development, Feb 2025, at the National Institute of Technical and Training Research, Chennai, India
- Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Community Development, January 2025, at Velanmal Engineering College, Chennai, India
- Women entrepreneurship at Sairam Institute of Management Studies in West Tembaran, Tamil Nadu, India
Key Qualifications
- Able to meet deadlines and flexible as situation demands
- Able to work under minimum supervision
- Determined to work hard with high level of creativity and efficiency
- Innovator with experience in driving change management
- Strategic planner with experience in facilitating strategic planning
- Leader and team builder with extensive leadership experience
Affiliations
- Time management, delegation and multitasking
- Attention to detail and relationship building
- Team training, leadership, development, and people management
- Customer service
- Change Management
- Business Development
- Performance Management
- Strategic planning
- Stakeholder engagement
- Regulatory compliance
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Project management
- Interpersonal skills
- Product management
- Crisis management and policy administration
- Risk assessment and safety procedures
- Sales and revenue management
- Performance tracking and evaluation
- Networking and negotiation strategies and
- Marketing and brand management
- Staff development and problem-solving
- Sales and revenue growth
- Effective communication, adaptability, and flexibility
- Innovation management and process improvement
- Lead generation and customer relationship management
- Reporting and documentation
Timeline
Development Programmes Manager
ROHI COMPANY LTD
01.2025 - Current
Regional Manager Southern Region, Tanzania
VISION FUND MICROFINANCE BANK (VFT MFB)
02.2023 - 12.2024
Head of Commercial
FINCA Microfinance Bank
01.2020 - 01.2021
Ag. Chief Commercial Officer
FINCA Microfinance Bank
01.2019 - 12.2020
Regional Manager
FINCA Microfinance Bank
07.2013 - 12.2018
Branch Manager
FINCA Microfinance Bank
10.2009 - 09.2012
Credit Supervisor
FINCA Microfinance Bank
11.2006 - 09.2009
Credit Officer
FINCA Microfinance Bank
10.2002 - 11.2006
MSc - Community Economic Development
Open University of Tanzania (OUT)
Bachelor of Science - Home Economics and Human Nutrition
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education -
Maswa Girls Secondary School
Certificate of Secondary Education -
Mazengo Secondary School
Primary school certificate -
Naura Primary School
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