When I first met Rosinah Hove, in 2006, she struck me with her demure brand of confidence and sharp wit. She had just been appointed to the post of Finance Director at Celsys Limited, one of two listed technology counters on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, and she discussed this issue with me in a matter-of-fact manner, as if it was one of those things that just happen in life.

A few weeks ago she was sitting next to Condoleezza Rice and I can picture her seated there unfettered by the whole scenario, chatting about this and that with the most powerful woman in the World.

Hove is one of only 35 young professional women from around the world, to participate in a Fortune 500 Women in Business mentorship programme. She was selected by the US Embassy to take part.

The programme brings leading women in global business together with younger and upcoming women. Hove was aligned with Charlene Begley, the CEO of General Electric’s behemothal Enterprise Solutions division.

For a month Hove followed Begley everywhere she went, meetings, corporate dinners, and yes, meet and greets with high ranking officials like US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who Hove had the privilege of sitting next to.

^ Hove and Begley on the GE Campus (Picture Fortune Magazine).

She rubbed shoulders with some of the leading business people in the world and even had a one on one meeting with GE’s CEO, Jeff Immelt.

Writing on his blog, Celsys CEO Geoff Goss said of Hove’s experience: “She looked, listened and learned, and she has come home to share it all with us. Celsys will undoubtedly be the better for it, and the benefits of this intensive executive training experience will be felt by the company for years to come.”

Hove is a young dynamo. She was only 27 when in January 2006 she was appointed Financial Director of Celsys Ltd. Born on a farm in Chivu, her family later moved to Harare where she spent her primary school years in Mabelreign.  The first four years of her secondary education were at Regina Mundi, the Catholic boarding school just outside Gweru. She then moved to Nagle House where she did her A Levels.

^ Rubbing shoulders: Lebanese entrepreneur, Dima Sharrafdeen, CNN correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, Fortune editor, Patricia Sellers and Celsys Finance Director, Rosinah Hove (Picture Maryanne Russel).

She graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bachelor of Accounting Honours Degree and she worked at a transport company for a few months before joining what was then Deloitte and Touche.  Within three years, in 2004, she had sat and passed the FQE (Final Qualifying Exam) at the first attempt – an unusual and fine achievement.   As a newly qualified Chartered Accountant, she immediately took up a post at Celsys – and has been with the company ever since.

:: Profile information from Celsys main and investor websites
:: Additional information from Active Thought Blog