In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I had an in-depth conversation with Farayi Ziswa, Founder & Executive Director of BTL Consulting Ltd, Co-Founder of Mapepa Karatasi, Founder & Executive Coach at Inheritege Coaches, and author of Selling to Informal Markets.

This is a deep and practical conversation about how African commerce actually works on the ground.

Farayi shares his journey from growing up around a family farm in Zimbabwe, studying business and finance at the University of Hull, joining Unilever’s UK International Management Trainee programme, and becoming National Sales Manager for Unilever South-East Africa, to later working across African Sun Hotels, SPAR Zimbabwe, SIT Distribution in Dubai and the GCC, BTL Consulting, Copia Global, Farm Shop, Mapepa Karatasi, and Inheritege Coaches.

The conversation explores why Africa’s informal markets are so often misunderstood, why sales and route-to-market execution deserve more respect, and how mobile technology, field intelligence, data, and modern sales systems can help corporates, entrepreneurs, and distributors serve informal retail markets more effectively.

Farayi also discusses his book, Selling to Informal Markets, which provides a practical blueprint for corporates, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and training institutions looking to successfully sell to Africa’s informal retailers.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

1. Farayi’s early life in Zimbabwe and his exposure to commerce through the family farm
2. Studying business accounting and financial management at the University of Hull
3. Lessons from Unilever’s UK International Management Trainee programme
4. Why sales is one of the most strategic disciplines in business
5. What corporates misunderstand about Africa’s informal markets
6. How BTL Consulting helps FMCG companies reach informal retailers
7. The role of mobile technology and real-time reporting in field sales
8. Lessons from Copia Global and Farm Shop
9. Serving small-scale farmers as customers, not statistics
10. Why informal markets should be respected as sophisticated commercial systems\Farayi’s book, Selling to Informal Markets
11. The future of route-to-market, informal retail, and African commerce

About Farayi Ziswa

Farayi Ziswa is a Zimbabwean-born business strategist, sales transformation leader, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author. He is the Founder & Executive Director of BTL Consulting Ltd, a regional advisory and execution firm focused on helping FMCG companies make their products more available in Africa’s informal markets using mobile technology and modern sales strategy.

He is also Co-Founder of Mapepa Karatasi in Tanzania, Founder & Executive Coach at Inheritege Coaches, and author of Selling to Informal Markets. His career spans Unilever, African Sun Hotels, SPAR Zimbabwe, SIT Distribution in Dubai and the GCC, Copia Global, Farm Shop, and multiple advisory and board roles across Africa.

Chapters

• 02:30 Introducing Farayi Ziswa and his career journey
• 05:45 Growing up in Zimbabwe and learning commerce early
• 11:20 Moving to the UK and studying at the University of Hull
• 16:40 Joining Unilever and learning sales discipline
• 23:30 Why sales is the first line of business performance
• 29:10 SPAR Zimbabwe and seeing retail from the other side
• 35:00 Dubai, the GCC, and pioneering mobile real-time reporting
• 42:15 Founding BTL Consulting and serving informal markets
• 50:30 What corporates misunderstand about informal retail
• 58:45 Mobile technology, data, and field intelligence
• 1:06:30 Copia Global and the realities of serving mass markets
• 1:14:00 Farm Shop and working with small-scale farmers
• 1:22:20 Mapepa Karatasi, Inheritege Coaches, and the next chapter
• 1:29:00 Selling to Informal Markets and why the book matters
• 1:35:00 Final reflections and how to connect with Farayi

Buy Selling to Informal Markets:

https://www.amazon.com/SELLING-INFORMAL-MARKETS-CORPORATE-SUCCESSFULLY/dp/1779286457

In this conversation recorded during the Rotary Zone 22 Regional Team Learning Seminar in Diani, Kenya, a few weeks ago, I sat down with Rotary International President-Elect Olayinka Hakeem Babalola for a deep and timely discussion about Rotary, leadership, emotional reconnection, impact, and Africa’s role in the organization’s future.

For those who may not know Rotary closely, Rotary International is a global network of community leaders and professionals who volunteer their skills and resources to solve social issues. With about 1.2 million members in more than 45,000 clubs across over 200 countries, Rotary and its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation, have invested billions of dollars into sustainable, community-driven humanitarian projects. Founded in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris, Rotary’s mission is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, promote high ethical standards, and advance goodwill and peace around the world.

In our conversation, Yinka shares how his Rotary journey began as a Rotaractor in Nigeria, why Rotary must move beyond transactional membership to emotional connection, and why the real measure of service is lasting impact. We also explore Rotary’s polio eradication legacy, the importance of storytelling in attracting new members, and why Africa’s youth, energy, and urgent development needs make it central to Rotary’s next chapter.

This conversation feels especially timely as Yinka is installed in about week at the Rotary International Convention today in Taipei, Taiwan, as Rotary International’s second ever President from Africa, marking a historic moment for Rotary in Africa and globally.

If you care about leadership, service, community impact, and how large organizations stay relevant in changing times, this is a conversation worth your time.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:05 What Rotary is and why this moment matters

02:10 Yinka’s Rotary journey from Rotaract to Rotary International President-Elect

05:10 Emotional reconnection to Rotary

08:10 Change versus lasting impact

11:10 Rotary’s polio eradication legacy

14:10 Africa’s role in Rotary’s future

18:10 Membership, inclusion, and growth

22:10 Leadership, relevance, and what comes next

25:00 Closing reflections

In this recent episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I sat down with Sven De Cauter, CEO of Teleperformance (TP) Kenya and Nigeria, for a revealing conversation about the growth of one of Kenya’s most remarkable digital business services operations. From 60 employees in 2020 to over 2,500 today, TP Kenya has become a significant case study in what is possible when global scale meets local talent, operational discipline, and long-term ambition.Sven shares his journey from Belgium to the UK, Tanzania, Barcelona, and eventually Nairobi, where he came in to help build a business that now serves clients across 170 markets and 21 languages. We discuss why Kenya was chosen, what he learned from TP’s Barcelona multilingual hub, why Mombasa became part of the company’s footprint, and how AI is reshaping the future of customer service and BPO.This conversation goes beyond headcount and office locations. We also talk about impact sourcing, youth employment, infrastructure, GDPR adequacy, the EU-Kenya Digital Dialogue, and what Kenya must do if it wants to become a serious global destination for digital business services. Sven is candid about both the opportunities and the gaps, and his perspective is especially valuable because it comes from someone who has built across markets and understands what scale really requires.Chapters0:00 Introduction and why this conversation matters2:19 Sven’s background and the road to Nairobi6:16 What TP is and how it evolved globally8:01 Why Kenya, and how the move happened10:52 Why Kenya’s talent pipeline matters13:26 Soft skills, onboarding, and customer service readiness15:17 The growth story from 60 to 2,500 employees19:55 Why Mombasa became part of the operation23:17 Why Two Rivers and TRIFIC made strategic sense28:14 AI, emotional intelligence, and the future of BPO31:07 Green energy, GDPR, and Kenya’s competitive edge33:56 The 10,000-jobs ambition35:26 Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and the pan-African view39:01 Infrastructure, latency, and cost42:32 Kenya’s culture of learning and adaptability48:58 Changing lives through impact sourcing51:15 Advice for young people entering the industry55:55 Closing remarks and where to find TP