Executive Profile: Susan Mashibe

Susan Mashibe is the founder and executive director of VIA Aviation, a firm that provides logistical support to business jet operators in Africa. The company, founded in 2003, is the first company of its kind in Tanzania. Mashibe’s clients include heads of state, monarchs, Fortune 500 executives, celebrities and the military staff.

Another first: Mashibe is the first woman in Tanzania to hold both a FAA certified commercial pilot and an aircraft maintenance engineering qualification.  A passionate aviator, Mashibe left Tanzania for the US aged 19 to learn to fly jetliners. She studied Aviation at Western Michigan University. Mashibe was honoured as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2011, and consequently completed leadership modules at Oxford and Harvard University.

Mashibe has several other accolades. For instance, she became an Archbishop Tutu Fellow in 2009 and a 2011 Fortune Most Powerful Woman mentee in 2011. Along with her current CEO position, she is a Director of Universal Africa Logistic Ltd and has been for six years.

Susan strives to promote education in Tanzania. She is particularly passionate about Maths, Science, and the development of female pupils in her home country.  

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