Kuda Nyabadza is an exceptional CEO, steering Kuma Consulting Engineers toward further growth and success. She has navigated numerous challenges and the highs and lows of running a new business to carve out a distinctive place for herself in South Africa’s competitive engineering space. Her efficiency is a key reason she stands out as an influential leader, driving social change in Africa.
“When I want to get something done, I make sure that it is completed – success or failure does not matter to me,” Kuda says. “My biggest comfort is completing something as efficiently as possible.”
Kuda has numerous accolades to her name, but she considers the philanthropic foundation she runs to be one of her greatest achievements. The continuous growth of her teammates on a day-to-day basis, whether it is in skills development, economic advancement, or social engagement, is another achievement she values highly. “Witnessing their growth in these areas provides enough metrics for me to measure the impact and success we are achieving together,” she says.
Choosing Civil Engineering
Throughout her career, Kuda has worked in various senior roles within the engineering consulting industry. She has an educational background in civil engineering. She specifically chose this field because, according to her, civil engineering is fundamentally about civilization. “We deal with the basics necessities that humankind needs on a day-to-day basis, such as water conveyance and sewerages,” Kuda explains. For example, everyone uses the bathroom, which makes wastewater treatment plants essential.
She also points out that when civil engineers like her deal with building, they do so from a broader perspective. Their interest is not just limited to the structural engineering part. Seeing the changes it brings to day-to-day human activities is what they find most valuable, Kuda points out.
“I’ve wanted to pursue a career in civil engineering since my high school, and I am quite grateful to be where I am today,” she adds.
About Kuma Consulting Engineers
Pretoria, South Africa-based Kuma Consulting Engineers provides technical, engineering consultancy, and project management services in diverse areas, including planning, freight, rail, railways, and bridges. Its team of specialists offers comprehensive services throughout the full life cycle of a project, benefiting both public and private sector clients.
“Our team of structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers, along with leading experts in acoustics, fire engineering, lighting design, security, façade engineering, building forensics, energy auditing, information technology, and telecommunications, collaborates to deliver cost-effective, functional, and innovative buildings,” says Kuda.
Growth Trajectory of the Company
Founded in 2015, Kuma Consulting Engineers has experienced both highs and lows over the years. The first year was quite eventful for the company, as Kuda started it with clients already in place. However, two years later, Kuda and her team witnessed a significant dip in the company’s growth. “Our turnover for the first two years was quite progressive for a startup company,” she points out. “We then suffered considerable losses in 2017 and 2018.”
According to her, they were not prepared for the rapid growth of the company. “Mentally, we were not ready, and we lacked the business acumen needed to handle the explosive growth,” she says.
Despite suffering setbacks, she and her team managed to recoup. They secured more projects, received more work, and attracted more clientele. This allowed them to turn things around.
“We grew from zero to a turnover of more than US$20 million,” Kuda says. “We achieved this with effective project management principles, accountability, innovation, and integrity.” She also points out that the company continues to grow despite economic stagnation over the last six years.
She and her team are excited about the future of Kuma Consulting Engineers. “I think the most important thing that we have as a team is the tenacity to keep pushing and driving in an economy that is not growing. I’ve got a set of employees that are all on the ground,” Kuda says. “They are fully involved, ready to provide solutions to whatever the issues could be.”
Chaotic Workdays and Work-Life Balance
As the CEO, Kuda provides strategic plans to ensure the growth of the business to a large-scale entity. She describes her regular workdays as “chaotic.” She normally wakes up at 4 a.m. and starts her day with meditation, yoga, and sometimes a gym session. She also checks her emails in the morning to stay updated on the latest developments.
At around 7 a.m., she begins her work with conference calls involving team leaders from various projects, running in different provinces. Kuda says that if she is not traveling to meet a leader on-site, she typically holds a meeting every Monday. In these meetings, they plan the weekly schedules and tasks.
After planning the weekly schedules, Kuda has one-on-one talks with each team leader, asking them to show what can they do and share the problems they are facing for the week. She also discusses the financial resources they have or need. “If we don’t have the necessary resources, we discuss what we can do to keep the business running,” Kuda says. “In between, I attend various other meetings that come up, like this interview.”
Kuda is emotionally invested in her business and spends most of her time—from Mondays to Thursdays—at the office. As a result, she struggles to maintain a work-life balance. “I feel like it’s my first baby. I feel like a lot of success has come through after all the challenges we’ve gone through,” she says. “So, for quite some time, there hasn’t been much balance between my personal and professional life.” She often prioritizes her work over her family.
At the beginning of 2024, Kuda decided that she would not work on Fridays in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. She now reserves Fridays for herself and non-formal meetings – “It’s my day.” On this day, she focuses on self-care, such as doing her hair and nails. She also spends time with her fiancé and loved ones and doing what she loves doing at home. Occasionally, she plays golf as well.
True Leadership and Motivation
Kuda is an exemplary leader who believes in investing in the growth of the people around her. According to her, the concept of leadership is often misunderstood—it is not solely determined by one’s rank or position. “True leadership entails the remarkable responsibility of fostering the growth and development of those around us,” she says.
She describes herself as a leader who serves. For her, great leadership is about serving one’s own people. According to her, one must lead in such a way that the team feels they are an integral part of the organization. As a leader who serves, she is connected to her team’s day-to-day challenges and experiences, their strengths and weaknesses, and appreciates them on a daily basis. She makes sure that they are doing all right as well as encourages and supports them.
Accountability is what motivates Kuda and her team. “Most of my team members love accountability when it comes to the business,” she says. “Every single day, we have to make sure that our work for the client is done to the best of our abilities and ensure that we’ve accounted to them. We love to ensure that we deliver projects on time.”
She points out that when projects go haywire for unexpected reasons, and they cannot fulfill their obligations, it becomes a “headache” for them. “Efficiency is what keeps us up every night, enabling us to respond to issues and deal with them more effectively,” she says.
Thriving in a Male-Dominated Industry
Civil engineering is very much a male-dominated industry, but despite that, Kuda has thrived and garnered an influential position in the field. Contrary to popular belief, being a woman has worked to her advantage. “As a woman working in a male-dominated industry, my gender places me in a more beneficial position,” she says. For example, because she was a woman, she was accepted into university to study engineering with one point (A-Level) less than her male counterparts, Kuda informs.
She also feels that she receives promotions quicker compared to her male colleagues with similar educational backgrounds, and it is also easier for her to secure contracts. Kuda believes that there is a misconception that women are mistreated in the workplace, and she personally had very few experiences of this nature. “My overall experiences have been positive,” she says.
However, as a woman leader, one of the biggest challenges Kuda faces after achieving a high level of success is that people tend to expect less of her emotionally – because they expect more from her professionally. She says that balancing emotions during times of extreme stress is crucial for women to command respect. “It is a common trait among women to be more in touch with their emotions,” she adds.
Kuda holds conservative values, which means she does not share the “paranoia associated with third-wave feminism.”
What Is Success?
Kuda’s definition of success has evolved over the years. When she started her business, her primary goal was financial success. “But as the business grew, I started to see it in a different light,” she says. “It’s because I have created employment opportunities and developed solutions for the business itself.” She no longer defines success in terms of personal gain.
For Kuda, success in business now means the gradual attainment of a worthy goal. “True success involves having a predetermined plan, effectively executing that plan consistently over an extended period, and deriving enjoyment from the process,” she explains.
She believes that success is found in the actual process of working towards each goal. From her perspective, the day-to-day challenges that she experiences, the solutions she creates, and the day-to-day issues she faces are all part of her success. It is not about reaching the end goal but more about the process or the journey, Kuda points out.
“For instance, setting a target like having 200,000 employees by December is important, but what truly matters is the process of getting there,” she adds. “So, I think for me, success is the zeal of doing what I love on a day-to-day basis and being able to attain it to the fullest and the maximum capability.”
Goals for the Future
Kuma Consulting Engineers’s foundation recently made a significant donation to ten schools for solar panel installation in Zimbabwe, which continues to endure the electricity crisis. According to Kuda, the company’s long-term goal is not only to excel in entrepreneurial value but also to ensure that there is social change in the communities they serve.
In the long term, Kuda and her team aim to grow and scale the company significantly. However, the most important values for them will continue to be teamwork and the personal development of the people they are entrusted with.
Kuda says that she does not wish to transform the lives of millions of people. Instead, she takes full responsibility for the 200 people she is entrusted with. “My goal is to help those people realize their impact and full potential,” Kuda says. She strives to give her best so that their lives can be changed.
“I’m more focused on social entrepreneurship, providing change where I can and where I have been trusted to make a difference,” Kuda shares.
Education Is Vital for Next Generation
The value of education cannot be stressed enough, according to Kuda. She explains that nothing will matter if the next generation is unable to change their mindset about education and the amount of information they must gain.
Opportunities can come to them, but if they do not have the right framework of education and information at their disposal, nothing will work. “So, for me, acquiring education is vital, as it provides our future generation with the ability to make more informed decisions,” Kuda says. “They can also potentially avoid making the mistakes that our generation and the generation before us made.”
Kuda and her team focus on education as a key fundamental issue. Her foundation has partnered with some of the key foundations in South Africa, including the President’s Foundation, to make a difference in the field of education. “Our foundation ensures that effective education systems are provided for the country,” Kuda says.
Message to Aspiring Leaders
“I believe that success in the engineering space is most fulfilling when we are driven by the desire to create positive changes in the environments we are entrusted,” Kuda tells aspiring leaders in the engineering space.
She highlights that leaders’ best contribution is creating an environment, where their team feels safe around them. “They must feel safe to the point that they see growth and change on a day-to-day basis when they are around you,” she adds. Kuda also encourages aspiring leaders to earn the trust of their team, making them feel comfortable enough to share the daily challenges they encounter – be it social or professional.
