He currently serves as the CEO of Partners in Food Solutions. Mandla was born in Zimbabwe, but has spent most of his life moving between Zimbabwe and South Africa. After studying biochemistry and food science in college, he started out working in agricultural production where he helped farmers solve challenges like access to markets, finance and lack of technical know-how. He also has experience in the food processing space, including running a small dairy factory. Previously he served as chief growth officer for CGIAR's Excellence in Agronomy Initiative.  Mandla has previously worked with the international organizations TechnoServe and Solidaridad. All of these professional sojourns, in his own words, “have given me a good perspective of how the entire food sector functions and intersects.”