05 Apr 2022

Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has appointed Botho Bayendi as its chief executive officer (CEO)

This comes after the departure of former CEO, Tuelo Serufho who joined Botswana National Sports Commission last year

Bayendi joins BNOC from Botswana Investment and Trade Centre where she was the executive director responsible for strategy, research, risk and compliance.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the CEO, BNOC president, Botsang Tshenyego, said the appointment of Bayendi was welcome as their objective was to achieve gender equality in the Olympic movement.

“We are very proud of this achievement.  We started with a board where in our seven key positions, we have four women against three men which is quite commendable,” said Tshenyego.

He said they were proud to have recruited from the corporate sector for the first time.

For her part, Bayendi said she was happy to have joined the BNOC family from BITC whose mandate was to sell Botswana’s brand.

“I was so attached to the brand and to change over is a sign of commitment and the seriousness I take in the new responsibility,” she said.

A BNOC press release says Bayendi is a well-developed, diverse and continuously evolving leader groomed in several boardrooms.

It says she also served as a board secretary where she provided performance and governance oversight.

It says she is also passionate about organisational and personal excellence and transformation, having devoted her career to strategy development and effective execution in different organisations with diverse mandates and cultures including Botswana Qualifications Authority, Botswana Housing Corporation, CEDA, Office of the President, Botswana National

Productivity Centre, Botswana Prison Services and Central Statistics Office.

Bayendi holds a master’s degree in strategic management from the University of Derby.

She serves in the board of Botswana Medicines and Regulatory Authority where she chairs the governance and nominations committee. ENDS