Group management
![Thanaseelan Gobalsamy (Seelan) [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-seelan.jpg)
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
- Bidvest 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 [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-serfontein.jpg)
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.
![Kavita Pema [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-kavita-pema.jpg)
Kavita Pema
- Age
- 51
- Qualifications
- MSc (Environmental Management)
- Title
- Group Executive: Safety, Sustainability and Risk
- Appointment date
- 1 February 2018
Experience: Kavita has in excess of 20 years of experience in Integrated Environmental Management, Occupational Health and Safety Management, Sustainability Management, ESG Management and Project Management. She joined Omnia Group in 2013 as the General Manager for Group SHERQ and held this position until her promotion to Group Executive: Sustainability and Risk in 2018.
![Lennon Phillip [photo]](/images/omnia/lennon-phillip.jpg)
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.
![Michelle Nana [photo]](/images/omnia/gm-michelle-nana.jpg)
Michelle Nana
- Age
- 52
- 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.
![Francois Visagie [photo]](/images/omnia/francois-visagie.jpg)
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.
![Liesel Dentlinger [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-liesel-dentlinger.jpg)
Liesel Dentlinger
- Age
- 43
- 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.
![Joseph Keenan [photo]](/images/omnia/gm-joe-keenan.jpg)
Joseph Keenan
- Age
- 51
- Qualifications
- BSc (Geology); MBA
- Title
- Managing director: BME
- Appointment date
- 1 September 2015
Experience:Joseph has more than 25 years experience in the global explosive industry with 15 years at senior management level. He has worked in Canada, the United States, Australia and Latin America as an executive in the mining services, power generation and oil and gas industries. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School.
![Khabo Ramoupi [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-michael-smith.jpg)
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.
![Jacque De Villiers [photo]](/images/omnia/dir-jacque-de-villiers.jpg)
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.