Seelan Gobalsamy

Age

45

Qualifications

Chartered Accountant (SA) AMP (Harvard)

Designation

Chief executive officer

Appointment date:

10 September 2018 - Board

Board Committee membership

None

Significant directorships

Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Limited, Momentum Metropolitan Life Limited

Number of non-significant directorships

2

Skills and expertise: Finance, business management, strategy, mergers and acquisitions.

Experience:He is an accomplished, internationally experienced business leader, from the financial services sector. He has assumed senior leadership roles across Emerging Markets for close to 20 years including key leadership roles as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director. He served as Chief Executive of Emerging Markets for Liberty Holdings and previously the Group Chief Executive of STANLIB Group.

Prior to this he was Managing Director of Old Mutual Corporate.

Stephan Serfontein

Age

43

Qualifications

Chartered Accountant (SA)

Designation

Group financial director

Date of appointment:

1 March 2020 - Board

Board Committee membership

None

Significant directorships

None

Number of non-significant directorships

None

Skills and expertise:
Finance, business management, strategy.

Experience:
He has been with Omnia Group for 8 years and successfully served as interim Financial Director since August 2019. He began his career at Deloitte Consulting and has 17 years of international finance experience in the manufacturing, chemicals, mining and agriculture industries. He has served on several boards, both locally and internationally, in an executive and non-executive capacity.

Liesel Dentlinger

Age

44

Qualifications

Masters in Social Science and Master of Management

Title

Group Human Resources Director

Appointment date

1 July 2020

Experience: Liesel has more than 20 years of experience in the field of human resources and labour relations. She previously held senior executive roles, in mining, management consulting, and financial services in southern Africa. She has worked as a consultant for a number of corporates in the areas of people engagement, executive coaching, organisational effectiveness and leadership development focusing on people strategy, culture and transformation.

Jacques de Villiers

Age

42

Qualifications

B.Eng (Mechanical)

Title

Head of supply chain

Appointment date

1 June 2017

Experience: Jacques joined Omnia in 2001 as a mechanical engineer in Sasolburg. He was later transferred to Rustenburg to serve as Technical Manager on the phosphoric acid plant. In 2006, he joined the Omnia Group Projects team and acted as Project Manager for the construction of the nitrates complex at Sasolburg. In 2015 he was appointed as General Manager: Supply Chain for Fertilizer.

Francois Visagie

Age

49

Qualifications

M.Eng (Chem), B. Com Economics, CFA level 2

Title

MD of Manufacturing

Appointment date

1 April 2018

Experience: Francois completed a master’s degree in chemical engineering in 1994 at the University of Pretoria and started at Sasol Holdings in 1995, working in various roles in Sasol Technologies. Joined Omnia in 2002 as Production Manager and later Technical Manager. Appointed as Operations Manager at Süd-Chemie Sasol Catalysts (Pty) Ltd in 2005. Joined Omnia in 2007 as Project Manager and then moved in 2009 into various business development positions in Protea Chemicals and Omnia Fertilizers, before being promoted to Group Executive: Business Initiatives in 2018 and subsequently to MD of Manufacturing in 2020.

Lennon Phillip

Age

46

Qualifications

BA LLB (Natal) Hdip Company Law and Executive Development Program (Wits)

Title

General Counsel

Appointment date

1 July 2017

Experience:Lennon is an admitted attorney with 19 years’ post articles experience. He has extensive in-house counsel experience having led legal departments in the petrochemical, manufacturing and science and innovation industries as well as across Middle East Africa.

Michael Smith

Age

52

Qualifications

BSc (Chem Eng); MBA

Title

Managing director: Protea Chemicals and Protea Mining Chemicals

Appointment date

1 April 2016

Experience: Michael has in excess of 25 years experience in the petrochemical and mining industries in a variety of technical, sales, marketing and management positions. He joined Protea Mining Chemicals in 2006 and held the position of commercial director until his promotion to managing director in 2016.

Ralf Hennecke

Age

54

Qualifications

Mining Engineer, MBA (2005)

Title

BME’s Managing Director SADC, and Interim Managing Director

Appointment date

1 August 2021

Experience:Ralf is a mining engineer with years of production experience in the mines of South Africa. He joined Omnia in 1995 with a key technical role in explosives and has been a member of BME’s executive committee since 2001. He leads a range of functions within BME, including Global blasting science, underground business, product management, and marketing and branding. He also heads up the company’s activities in global software development and technology, and global AXXIS Electronic Development and marketing. Ralf plays a role in Global Corporate Development and Strategy as well as commercial delegation of authority and is a director of several of BME’s African business entities.

Michelle Nana

Age

53

Qualifications

FCIS, BA (Industrial Psychology and Sociology), Certified Director of the Institute of Directors South Africa

Title

Group Company Secretary

Appointment date

1 July 2018

Experience:25 years in Company Secretarial and Corporate Governance, in both JSE-listed and unlisted companies. Sectors include telecommunications and construction.