The African Development Bank has announced the appointment of Dr. Mateus Magala as Vice President for Corporate Services and Human Resources, effective September 1, 2018.
Dr. Magala, a citizen of Mozambique, is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity company of Mozambique (EDM).
He holds a Masters in Economics and Econometrics (2000), a Masters in Transport Economics and Management (1998) and a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of Sydney, Australia.
He also holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Academy of Brno, Czech Republic, (1990). Dr. Magala obtained his PhD in Economics from Victoria University, Australia (2004).
He worked earlier at the African Development Bank from 2008-2015 in various roles, including as Principal Planning Economist and Strategist, Strategy Advisor, and Resident Representative of the Bank in Zimbabwe, prior to being requested to return to his country of Mozambique, to help revamp the nation’s utility company, the EDM. While at the Bank, he helped to lead the development of the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy.
Prior to joining the Bank, he had worked as Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, Australia (2001-2003), Senior Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer, at the University of Melbourne, Australia (2003-2005), Associate Director for Strategic Designs and Development in Australia (2006-2007), Team Leader for the Strategy Advisory Services, Parsons Brinckerhoff in Australia, Economic and Strategy Advisor for Rio Pinto (2008-2009).
Dr. Magala brings a strong transformation and reform mindset and experience. At the EDM, where he heads several thousand staff, he embarked on reforms to put in place performance based systems, cut back on layers of bureaucracy, implemented global talent hunts and established performance-based contracts.
Within two years, the performance of the EDM saw a rapid turnaround. With recruitment of better-qualified and rewarded staff, EDM saw its revenue rise from $150 million to $500 million and on track to reach $1 billion by 2020.
He has won acclaim for his work at EDM, earning the 2017 Personality of the Year in Mozambique, by the Blue Bird Club, the 2016 African Leadership Business Excellence Award and the Outstanding Contribution for Power, 2017 / 2018, by the African Utility Week Industry Awards.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Mateus Magala said “It is such a great honor to be appointed as Vice President for Corporate Services and Human Resources for the African Development Bank. I look forward to helping to further promote a culture of high productivity, performance and accountability for results, through attracting, rewarding, and retaining best-in-class staff talents”.