One on one with Noel Lipipa

For the second year running, Lab Enterprise is sponsoring a match play golf competition at Blantyre Sports Club. Lab Enterprise was also involved in sponsoring football team and chess. Garry Chirwa (GC) caught up with the firm’s managing director Noel Lipipa (NL) to find out more about the golf competition and other issues relating to sports sponsorship.

GC: You are a golfer yourself, who are you facing in the semi-finals of the Lab Enterprise Match Play?

NL: (Laughs) I was booted out in the early stages of the competition, but it is exciting.

GC: You are sponsoring the match play again this year, has it turned into an annual event?

NL: Yes, we thought it wise to make it an annual event because it brought a lot of excitement the first time we sponsored it. The other factor is that match play is used in some international tournaments such as the Zone VI, so we feel in a way it helps to prepare national team players for such tournaments.

GC: What is in the sponsorship for you?

NL: Golf is a good platform to interact with our clients who are mostly decision-makers. Upon interaction, we get to hear their expectations and other ideas.

GC: You used to sponsor a football team in the Southern Region Football League (SRFL) as well as chess, are you still doing so?

NL: Yes, we used to, but due to the difficult economic climate, we cannot sustain all the three [golf, football and chess]. So, the focus now is only in golf.

GC: How much do you pump into the match play competition and what should golfers expect this year?

NL: I do not have the exact figure, but it should be in excess of K1 million (about $2 500). Golfers should expect fantastic prizes this year.