Seelan Gobalsamy

Qualifications

Chartered Accountant (SA) AMP (Harvard)

Designation

Chief Executive Officer

Appointment date:

10 September 2018 - Board

Board Committee membership

Social, ethics and risk committee

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

Qualifications

Chartered Accountant (SA)

Designation

Group Finance Director

Date of appointment:

1 March 2020 - Board

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.

André Harding

Qualifications

National Higher Diploma Analytical Chemistry, qualifications in Industrial Marketing (UNISA) and Financial Management (WITS)

Designation

Group Executive: Strategic Projects

Date of appointment:

2 May 2023

Experience:
André has a 35-year career in the industrial, chemical manufacturing, retail, and commercial sectors and has held a number of senior leadership roles, including Managing Director of NCP Chlorchem and head of Lonza Group’s Middle East and Africa operations. He is also the current chairman of the Chemical and Allied Industry Association.

Bronwyn Bernadette Murray

Qualifications

LLB, B.Com, Postgraduate Diploma in Administrative Law, Professional Business Coaching Programme, and Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme

Designation

Group Executive: Human Resources

Date of appointment:

2 May 2023

Experience:
Bronwyn is a seasoned human resources executive with more than ten years’ experience in strategic human resource management in the agriculture and forestry sector.

Her skills include developing and implementing customised human capital development, industrial relations solutions and establishing targeted talent management programmes.

Bronwyn previously occupied a senior strategic role at Merensky Timber. Her expertise also extends to legal services, having worked in senior roles at Edward Nathan Sonnenberg's, Bowman Gilfillan and Bell Dewar Hall.

Michelle Nana

Qualifications

LLB, 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:28 years in Company Secretarial and Corporate Governance, in both JSE-listed and unlisted companies. Sectors include telecommunications and construction.

Ralf Hennecke

Qualifications

Mining Engineer, MBA

Title

Managing Director, BME

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.

Mandla Mpofu

Qualifications

PhD in International and Business Finance, MBA, Post Graduate Certificate in Leadership, Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators (CIS), B. Com Hons.

Title

Managing Director, Agriculture

Appointment date

1 July 2021

Experience: Mandla is a seasoned senior executive with over 25 years’ strategic management expertise in agriculture, mining, distribution, retail, finance, engineering, freight, manufacturing, consultancy and project management sectors. He joined the Omnia Group in June 2021, after spending 10 years at AFGRI, an agricultural services and processing company, with a focus on grain commodities in various roles, including as CEO of AFGRI International. He is responsible for Omnia’s global Agricultural portfolio, and was previously responsible for the African agricultural markets.

Colette Botha

Qualifications

Mcom in business sociology, BCom honors in Labour Relations, BCom honors in Organisational and Industrial Psychology, BCom

Designation

Chief of Staff

Appointment date

2009

Experience:Since November 2009, Omnia has employed Colette in various positions within the Human Resources department across various divisions within the business. Her most recent role was as the acting Head of Human Resources, effective in January 2021. In this role, she led the Human Resource team, where she implemented various processes and procedures to enhance the Human Resources department, she brought about various changes and resourced the team to support the business adequately to deliver strategic results. In her current role as Chief of Staff in the office of the Group CEO, her business acumen, interpersonal skills, and capacity to perform well under pressure in order to deliver results will serve her well. Her tenure at Omnia and extensive knowledge of the company's operations, Colette plays a vital role in integrating the many parts of the business and bringing together diverse people and processes.

Tiaan Kotzé

Qualifications

Chartered Accountant (SA)

Designation

Chief Operating Officer

Appointment date

1 February 2022

Skills and expertise: Finance, business management

Experience: Tiaan has extensive experience in general management including start-ups, turnarounds and group holding companies. Entities where Tiaan has held executive positions include Old Mutual SA, PSG Group, Liberty. Tiaan is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He completed his articles at Arthur Andersen and also spent a few years at their London Office. Tiaan's last position was CEO of Liberty's Corporate division, having successfully steered operations through the impact of COVID-19.

Simphiwe Mdluli

Qualifications

LLB, LLM

Designation

Executive: Legal and Compliance

Appointment date

1 May 2022

Skills and expertise: Finance, business management, legal, risk, compliance

Experience: Simphiwe was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa at the beginning of 2005. His previous experience includes Chief Compliance and Legal Officer responsible for overall compliance and legal management for Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Limited and all its subsidiaries (domestic and international). Prior to that he was the Regional Executive Director accountable for all of STANLIB’s businesses in East Africa and the Executive Head of Legal, Risk and Compliance at STANLIB responsible for Rest of Africa businesses. Simphiwe is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand for masters and other post-graduate students.

Nerina Bodasing

Qualifications

Bsc, Hons, MBA The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Designation

Group Executive: Communications, Investor Relations, Marketing

Appointment date

1 June 2022

Skills and expertise: Strategic communications, business management, change management and investor relations

Experience: Nerina is a strategic communications professional with over 20 years’ experience. Her experience spans senior roles at regional and global businesses including Sasol, ABSA Group, Anglo American plc and Gold Fields. Most recently Nerina led the Liberty Group’s communications function, successfully articulating and delivering the business’ transformation journey to stakeholders. She has multifaceted experience across various industries coupled with experience in investor relations and financial PR.

Jacques de Villiers

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

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.

Ditebogo Malatsi

Qualifications

Masters in Development Finance (Cum Laude), BCom Honours in Financial Management

Title

Executive for SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality) and Sustainability

Appointment date:

01 May 2022

Experience:Ditebogo has more than 15 years commercial experience including Investec Private Bank and Liberty Africa Insurance. She has a proven track record in business optimisation, managing governance and driving business outcomes. Her experience includes business development in short, long-term insurance and asset management. Her senior leadership experience includes divisional executive roles in governance, compliance, and strategy for Liberty Corporate.