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For the second time in a year, Global diversified miner Anglo American Plc has announced a number of changes to its directors following the retirement of Norman Mbazima, as announced in April 2019, after 18 years with Anglo American. Nolitha Fakude has stepped up to take a role as chairperson of Anglo American’s management board in South Africa, effective 1 September 2019.
Nolitha will step down as a non-executive director on the board of Anglo American on 31 August 2019 in order to take up this new executive role and join the Group Management Committee of Anglo American as Group Director – South Africa, reporting to Mark Cutifani, CEO of Anglo American. Fakude’s appointment follows the retirement of Norman Mbazima after 18 years with Anglo American. In September 2018, the company made similar announcement of changes to the roles of its non-executive directors following the decisions of Sir Philip Hampton and Jack Thompson who stepped down from the Board on 31 December 2018 and 30th April 2019 respectively after nine years of service.
Cutifani said: “Nolitha Fakude’s breadth of experience at Sasol and her board experience with us and other major organisations stand her in good stead as we build upon our sustainable partnerships with all our stakeholders in South Africa.”
Nolitha Fakude, age 54, joined the Board of Anglo American plc as a non-executive director in 2017. In her previous career, Nolitha joined Sasol in 2005, serving as an executive director on the board and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Sustainability until her decision to leave the company at the end of 2016. Nolitha served as Chairman of Sasol’s Sustainability, HR and Stakeholder Relations committees and was Chairman of the Sasol Mining Board. Nolitha is a non-executive director of JSE Limited and Afrox. She is a former trustee of the Women’s Development Bank, former Deputy Chairman and Lead Independent Director of Datacentrix Holdings and has served as a non-executive director of Harmony Gold and Woolworths Holdings. Ms Fakude holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree from the University of Fort Hare in South Africa and has completed the Harvard Business School Senior Executive Development Programme.
Registering her happiness to reflect the change in role, Nolitha said: “After two years on the Board, I am proud to join Anglo American in an executive capacity. As South Africa’s most significant mining investor, to the tune of R72-billion over the next five years, we have a duty to keep improving the competitive position and performance of our businesses and for our stakeholder relationships to be mutually reinforcing. I am looking forward to working with government and regulators to help set up South Africa’s mining industry for long term success.”
The company has also announced that Themba Mkhwanazi, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore since 2016, has also joined the Group Management Committee of Anglo American, with effect from 1 August 2019. Mkhwanazi will continue to report to Seamus French, CEO of Bulk Commodities and other minerals.
Cutifani added: “Themba Mkhwanazi has led Kumba through a significant operational turnaround that has transformed the business’ performance and prospects, supplying some of the world’s highest quality iron ore that commands a significant premium in the global marketplace. In addition to his extensive operational and technical experience of the mining industry in South Africa, including key government enterprise relationships, Themba brings valuable additional insights from a number of markets and will add further depth to our executive team.”
Themba Mkhwanazi, age 49, was appointed CEO of Kumba Iron Ore in 2016, having served as CEO of Anglo American’s thermal coal business in South Africa since 2014. He has extensive experience in the resources industry, including 22 years in his native South Africa, as well as in the USA and Australia. Themba was a Managing Director for Huntsman Tioxide in South Africa until 2007 when he was appointed COO of Richards Bay Minerals, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. In 2011, Themba was seconded to Rio Tinto’s Australian coal business, before taking up the role of Regional General Manager for Technology and Innovation for the Americas in 2012. Themba serves as a non-executive director of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings and is Chairman of Mining Dialogues 360. Mr Mkhwanazi holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Chemical Engineering.
Themba Mkhwanazi commented: “Within Anglo American, Kumba is one of South Africa’s great success stories. Over the last three years, we have uncovered the tremendous potential of the business, enabling us to maximise the benefit of current prices – marketing to the right customers at the right time, producing the right product for those customers, and enhancing cost discipline even as revenues go up. All the while, we are delivering significant and meaningful value for our stakeholders, including our host communities. And the good news is that we see so much more opportunity ahead. I look forward to contributing more to the decision-making of the Group as a whole.”