Nomathemba Pearl Dzinotyiwei

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa | Mobile: +27 71 491 9648

Email: Noma.Dzinotyiwei@absa.africa | Manzini.1@icloud.com

Executive Profile

Visionary financial services leader with over 25 years of progressive experience across banking, payments, and product management. Proven track record of driving strategic transformation, leading high-performing teams, and delivering innovative financial solutions across African markets. Adept at navigating complex regulatory environments, managing risk, and fostering inclusive leadership cultures. Recognized for elevating organizational performance through agile execution, digital innovation, and customer-centric strategies.

Core Leadership Competencies

Strategic Programme & Portfolio Leadership
Financial Product Innovation & Lifecycle Management
Agile Transformation & Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Governance
Cross-functional Team Leadership & Mentorship
Digital Payments & Card Scheme Expertise
Change Management & Operational Excellence
Stakeholder Engagement & Industry Representation

Professional Experience

Absa Group Limited

Head of Programme Management, Retail Banking | 2023 – Present

Spearhead strategic change initiatives across Card, Payments, Transactional Banking, Savings, and Loans portfolios.
Lead a team of programme managers, instilling a culture of accountability and agile delivery.
Manage multimillion-rand change budgets and ensure compliance with financial and risk controls.
Champion Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) adoption across the Everyday Banking Change team.

Head of Card Products | 2019 – 2023

Directed the Card Issuing strategy, leading a team of product managers to market leadership.
Elevated Absa to the largest card issuer by assets in South Africa.
Pioneered digital payment innovations including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and wearable tech integrations.
Co-chaired the Absa Retail Banking Women’s Forum, advancing gender equity in leadership.

Head, Payment Investigations & SWIFT Centre of Excellence | 2017 – 2019

Led SWIFT operations and international payment investigations across the Group
Delivered a 98% STP rate for USD payments and reduced query turnaround to 1 day for 80% of cases.
Group Business Lead for ISO2022 migration; awarded for Service Excellence in 2018.

Head, International Payments Products | 2016 – 2017

Managed a team of specialists supporting cross-border payments across Africa.
Co-developed a network management function with Markets to optimize Nostro relationships.
Vice-President, Documentary Trade Products | 2014 – 2016
Oversaw a R20 billion trade portfolio, generating R259 million in revenue.
Led blockchain-based trade transaction pilot using electronic bills of lading.

Standard Chartered Bank

Assistant Director, Trade Products – Africa | 2013 – 2014

Conducted competitive benchmarking and supported cross-border deal structuring.
Represented the bank at ICC workshops and contributed to global product governance.

First National Bank (FNB)

Held multiple leadership roles from 2007 to 2013, including:

Product Analyst, Global Transactional Services
Product Manager, International Banking & Mobile Solutions
Drove 100%+ revenue growth in prepaid products and led cross-border remittance innovations.

Earlier Career

Held progressive roles in product development, relationship management, and credit analysis at Omega Performance, CBZ Bank, NMB Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank (Zimbabwe). Notable achievements include:

Growing a lending portfolio tenfold at CFX Bank.
Launching Zimbabwe’s first foreign currency-denominated VISA debit card.
Leading retail banking sales teams to exceed targets and secure corporate clients.

Education & Professional Development

Strategic Leadership, Gordon Institute of Business Science (2024)
Data Monetization Strategy, MIT Sloan (2024)
Data Analysis & Visualization, Rice University (2024)
Leading SAFe, IQ Business (2023)
Certificate in International Trade Finance, LIBF (2016)
Certification in Product & Marketing Management, AIPMM (2015)
BSc (Hons) Politics & Administration, University of Zimbabwe (1996)

Professional Affiliations

Member, Association of International Product and Marketing Management (AIPMM)

References

Available on request