Ethel Kuntambila
Wychwood
Summary
An ambitious and enthusiastic lady, who is driven and self-motivated. I like to set high goals for myself and I am eager to grow academically, professionally, and as a person. Making a meaningful impact in everything I undertake is important to me; a testament to both my academic and professional achievements thus far. With nine years of experience, I have worked with top international organizations and have held senior positions in both the private and public sectors. My expertise has been gained through collaborations with government entities as well as global firms and I possess strong numerical and analytical capabilities, excellent communication skills, and the ability to maintain mutually beneficial internal and external relationships. I thrive in collaborative environments and excel in high-performance settings. My core strengths lie in my ability to pay high attention to detail, critical thinking and advanced problem-solving skills, creativity, proficiency in research and data analysis, strong written and verbal communication skills, and exceptional project management skills.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Consultant
IBDG
07.2023 - Current
- As a consultant, I work closely with governments to enhance international trade and grow the number of exporters in their economies
- I currently work with Wales (UK), Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan (USA) to foster economic growth and promote sustainable development through policy recommendations and strategic initiatives
- Policy Development & Advisory: Provide strategic policy recommendations to government agencies on enhancing trade competitiveness, supporting exporters, and navigating international trade regulations
- Research & Analysis: Conduct in-depth economic and sector-specific analysis to investigate global industry trends, market access barriers, regulatory environments, and trade policies to help shape strategies for increasing exports and foreign investment
- Sustainable Development & Trade Facilitation: Assist governments in developing sustainable trade policies that promote economic resilience, job creation, and inclusive growth, aligning with global standards such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Intergovernmental & Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with different stakeholders, including the private sector to boost their exports
- Reporting & Strategic Planning: Develop comprehensive reports for exporters and government officials, providing insights into emerging trade opportunities, sector growth outlooks, and regulatory challenges, influencing company strategies and government policies
- Regulatory Compliance & Legal Frameworks: Guide governments and businesses on navigating trade laws, customs regulations, and compliance frameworks, ensuring alignment with international trade agreements and sustainable economic policies
- Capacity Building & Export Strategy Development: Facilitate capacity-building programs to empower local businesses, ensuring they can compete internationally
Senior Research Executive (Corporate Reputation Team)
Ipsos South Africa
Fourways
07.2022 - 06.2023
- Company Overview: Ipsos South Africa – A global market research and consulting firm headquartered in Paris, France
- Worked alongside the Director to establish and expand Corporate Reputation Research service in South Africa, engaging with government organizations, ministers, and major corporations to shape policy discourse and provide strategic insights into public perception, governance, and economic sustainability
- Business Development: Generation of new business, from both existing and new clients, including preparation of quotes and proposals
- Government & Public Sector Engagement: Collaborated with government entities and policymakers to assess and enhance public trust, corporate governance standards, and policy effectiveness
- Policy Research & Strategic Insights: Conducted in-depth research on public perception, economic policies, and governance frameworks, delivering data-driven recommendations to support policy formulation, regulatory improvements and company strategies
- Intergovernmental Coordination & Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: Acted as a liaison between government bodies, private sector stakeholders, and research teams to align policy and company strategies with economic and social development goals
- Quality Assurance in Research: Ensured that research methodologies, reporting standards, and policy insights met international best practices, influencing decision-making at high levels
- Capacity Building & Knowledge Transfer: Led training initiatives to enhance research capabilities, mentoring teams on analysis, governance impact assessments, and research methodologies
- Economic & Social Impact Analysis: Provided evidence-based insights on the role of corporate governance and sustainable business practices in economic growth and development policies
- Team Management: Overseeing all team projects into research disciplines, meeting objectives, adherence to quality standards, value add / insights, meeting deadlines and budgets
- Providing input, support, insights, and sign-off at each step/stage in the research process
- Ipsos South Africa – A global market research and consulting firm headquartered in Paris, France
Principal Analyst
Fitch Solutions
Centurion
04.2020 - 06.2022
- Company Overview: Fitch Solutions – A global provider of economic and risk analysis
- Led a team of analysts within the Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare division, delivering high-quality research and analysis on political, economic, and sector risks
- Developed policy-relevant insights that informed governments, international organizations, and corporate stakeholders on healthcare systems, economic resilience, and sustainable development strategies
- Economic & Policy Research: Conducted in-depth political, economic, and sector risk analysis, producing reports that influenced policy decisions on healthcare financing, pharmaceutical regulations, market sustainability, as well as company strategies
- Public Sector & International Engagement: Provided policy recommendations and strategic insights to government entities, multinational organizations, and institutional investors regarding healthcare infrastructure and economic growth
- Long-Term Economic & Sector Forecasting: Managed a portfolio of country-specific economic and sector forecasts (10-year outlooks), identifying trends that impact public health policy, investment, and sustainable development
- Data-Driven Decision Making for Policymakers: Maintained forecast databases, sourced local data, and ensured data accuracy to support evidence-based policymaking in global healthcare and pharmaceutical industries
- Intergovernmental & Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked with government agencies, international institutions, and corporate stakeholders to align economic and healthcare policies with sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- Strategic Market Entry & Economic Growth Analysis: Led custom research projects, advising on market expansion opportunities, investment risks, and regulatory compliance to support inclusive economic growth
- Training & Capacity Building: Mentored analysts, fostering expertise in economic and policy analysis, ensuring a high standard of research quality and analytical depth
- Fitch Solutions – A global provider of economic and risk analysis
Research Analyst
Fitch Solutions
Centurion
05.2018 - 03.2020
- Managing a portfolio of countries, producing reports, assessing risks and opportunities, and creating 5 and 10-year forecast scenarios
- Interpreting data and analysing results using statistical techniques in order to produce reports on a quarterly basis
- Maintaining a portfolio of forecast databases, sourcing local data and ensuring data and forecast accuracy
- Producing analysis for governments and other key industry players, examining financial data, company strategy and key company developments
- Collaborating with relevant analysts across global offices to ensure holistic, cutting-edge analysis
- Working directly with clients when needed to communicate key views and promote business development
- Managing freelance analysts working for the team
- Peer reviewing work written by other team members before publication
Associate Analyst (Sub- Sovereign Group)
Moody’s Investors Service
Sandton
01.2018 - 04.2018
- Attending analytical meetings and assisting with meeting follow-up reports
- Performing preliminary credit analysis to support ratings, research, analytical outreach, and presentations
- Preparing financial spreadsheets and charts, analysing data and financial statements, building and updating financial models and forecasts, and writing analytical commentary in accordance with Moody’s methodologies
- Identifying trends in data and use analytical ability, applying judgment to form well-thought-out credit conclusions
- Understanding and identifying key factors that affect issuer credit ratings
- Supporting credit monitoring/surveillance of issuers by e.g., preparing data for surveillance, periodically updating preliminary components of analysis, and initiating/escalating deeper credit reviews when necessary
- Interacting with intermediaries and issuers
- Reviewing rating documentation, including bank loans, covenants and bond indentures and contribute to portfolio reviews
- Supporting sector and company research writing
Graduate Research Analyst
Fitch Solutions (Previously BMI Research)
Centurion
02.2016 - 12.2017
- Managing a portfolio of countries, producing reports, assessing risks and opportunities, and creating 5 and 10-year forecast scenarios
- Interpreting data and analysing results using statistical techniques in order to produce reports on a quarterly basis
- Maintaining a portfolio of forecast databases, sourcing local data and ensuring data and forecast accuracy
- Producing company analysis, examining financial data, company strategy and key company developments
- Collaborating with relevant analysts across global offices to ensure holistic, cutting-edge analysis
- Working directly with clients to communicate key views and promote business development
Education
MCom - Development Economics
University of Johannesburg
South Africa01.2025
BCom Honours - Economics
University of Johannesburg
South Africa01.2014
BBusSci - Accounting and Economics
Monash University
South Africa01.2013
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) - Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA
St Andrews International High School
Malawi01.2009
Skills
- Microsoft Office
- Stata
- E-views
- Bloomberg
- Pastel Accounting Software
Accomplishments
- Completed my Masters' coursework in 2024 with Distinctions.
- Played a key role in establishing the new Corporate Reputation Research offering at Ipsos South Africa.
- Helped establish a successful Medical Devices (Analysts) team at the newly launched Fitch office in Manchester, UK.
- Featured in media interviews and quoted in top publications such as Business Day, Financial Mail, and Thomas Reuters’ Medical Device Daily.
- Received multiple weekly nominations and awards for the best Pharmaceuticals analysis article during my tenure at Fitch.
- Analyst of the Month awards at Fitch Solutions/BMI Research.
- Graduated with Second Class Honours Division A (2:1) in 2014 and 2015.
- Awarded a University of Johannesburg Honours merit bursary in 2014.
- Awarded the Monash Scholarship for Academic Merit in 2012.
- Invitation to Golden Key International Honour Society in 2011.
- Recognized with an Award for Academic Excellence in 2010.
Timeline
Consultant
IBDG
07.2023 - Current
Senior Research Executive (Corporate Reputation Team)
Ipsos South Africa
07.2022 - 06.2023
Principal Analyst
Fitch Solutions
04.2020 - 06.2022
Research Analyst
Fitch Solutions
05.2018 - 03.2020
Associate Analyst (Sub- Sovereign Group)
Moody’s Investors Service
01.2018 - 04.2018
Graduate Research Analyst
Fitch Solutions (Previously BMI Research)
02.2016 - 12.2017
MCom - Development Economics
University of Johannesburg
BCom Honours - Economics
University of Johannesburg
BBusSci - Accounting and Economics
Monash University
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) - Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA
St Andrews International High School
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