By ETimes
Veteran chief executive officer and admired strategist Mr. John Koumides has died.
It is not yet known what the cause of death was but the 61-year-old died this morning at his home in the capital. It was rumored that he was unwell for a period as he retired from his CEO position in December 2022.
Mr. Koumides occupied the position of Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Axia until his retirement on December 31, 2022. The veteran stalwart was also on the board of National Foods and Irvine’s Zimbabwe until his untimely demise.
He previously occupied the position of Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Innscor Africa Ltd. and Non-Executive Chairman of Colcom Holdings which is a subsidiary of Innscor Africa, Chief Operations Officer, Group Director-Operations and Financial at Zimbabwe’s biggest listed company Delta Corporation and Partner at Deloitte and Touche (Zimbabwe).
Mr. Koumides was the inaugural group chief executive officer of, since April 2016 and he oversaw the group’s unbundling process from Innscor.
“Under his leadership, the group grew to become the market leader in the specialty retail and distribution sector; reaffirming our commitment to create value by providing high-quality consumer and durable goods in Zimbabwe and the Region,” Axia said in a statement.
Mr. Koumides played a leading role in the growth of the group during his tenure, ensuring that their extensive knowledge of the African business environment particularly Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi helped Axia meet customers and beneficiaries at their point of need.
He will be remembered as one of the finest leaders in this country’s business environment and a friend to many in the industry – Harare