Directors

Group directorate

Independent Non-executive directors

Ronald Clifford Bowen

Age: 65
Qualifications: BSc (Hons)
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 28 September 2011
Board committee membership: Audit committee (appointed 13 April 2017)
Significant directorships: None

Experience:Former senior executive managing speciality chemical businesses on five continents for Süd-Chemie AG, Germany for 30 years. He also worked for Ashland Chemicals Inc. of the United States. He has served on several boards, both locally and internationally, as managing director, executive director and chairman with joint-venture shareholders such as Sasol Limited, the Industrial Development Corporation, Central Energy Fund (CEF) Limited and PetroSA. He is a council member of a large global marketing consultancy.

Prof. Nick Binedell

Age: 63
Qualifications: BCom; MBA; PhD
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 24 February 2017
Board committee membership: None
Significant directorships: None

Experience: He is currently a professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). In 1998 he was appointed to establish GIBS where he was Director and Dean from 2000 – 2015. He was a board member of the International Management Board of the Association of MBAs (AMBA). He was the founding president of the Association of SA Business Schools (SABSA), where he served two terms.

Frank Desmond Butler

Age: 64
Qualifications: BSc (Chem Eng); MBA
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 27 September 2002
Board committee memberships: Social, ethics and risk committee chairman and audit committee (resigned 20 March 2017)
Significant directorships: None

Experience: He is a private consultant in risk management and business strategies, he has occupied senior positions, including chairman of CRM International from 1980 to 2001.

Tina Eboka

Age: 58
Qualifications: BSc; MBA
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 25 February 2016
Board committee membership: None
Significant directorships: Stefanutti Stocks Group, Richards Bay IDZ Board

Experience: She is currently group managing director of NTP Radiosotopes (SOC) Limited, the commercial subsidiary of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation SOC limited.

She was a board level strategy consultant in private and public banking, science/technology research, retail and manufacturing sectors for 24 years. She is a recognised business turnaround specialist who has served as executive committee director of Standard Bank South Africa Limited for five years where she established and led group corporate affairs, and was made responsible for managing stakeholder relationships, social investment and corporate strategy.

Ralph Havenstein

Age: 58
Qualifications: BCom; MSc (Chem Eng)
Designation: Lead independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 6 November 2007
Board committee memberships: Social, ethics and risk committee, remuneration committee chairman (appointed 24 February 2017)
Significant directorships: Northam Platinum Limited, Murray & Roberts Holdings Limited

Experience: Served as director of Anglo Platinum, Simmer and Jack, Mintek and Sasol and on councils of Chamber of Mines and Chemical and Allied Industries' Association (CAIA).

Hester Hickey

Age: 63
Qualifications: BCompt (Hons); Chartered Accountant (SA)
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 13 June 2008
Board committee memberships: Audit committee (chairperson)
Significant directorships: Cashbuild Limited, African Dawn Capital Limited, Barloworld Limited, Pan African Resources plc, Sentinel Pension Fund

Experience: She has extensive experience in auditing, internal audit, risk management and governance. She serves on the boards and audit committees of several listed companies.

Sizwe Mncwango

Age: 51
Qualifications: BSc; MSc (Civ Eng); MBA
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 29 July 2010
Board committee membership: None
Significant directorships: Shell Downstream South Africa, Sekelo Oil Trading, Science, Technology and Innovation for Africa (STISA) Oil Trading, Safripol, Thebe Unico, Thebe Mining Resources, Timrite, Turnstone

Experience: He has served on numerous boards over the past 13 years and is the former CEO of Central Energy Fund. He has extensive experience in general management, deal structuring and turnaround strategies.

Dhanasagree (Daisy) Naidoo

Age: 45
Qualifications: BCom; Chartered Accountant (SA); Master in Accounting (Tax)
Designation: Independent non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 1 April 2011
Board committee membership: Remuneration committee; audit committee
Significant directorships: STRATE Proprietary Limited, Hudaco Industries Limited, Mr Price Group Limited, Anglo Platinum Limited, Barclays Africa Group Limited, Trustee of Discovery Health Medical Scheme

Experience: She worked for Sanlam Capital Markets for more than nine years where she served, inter alia, as head of the debt structuring unit and on the sub-credit committee of the Sanlam Investment Cluster. She currently serves on several boards, including membership of audit committees, of listed and private companies and provides risk advisory services to the Vantage Mezzanine Fund. She is also a member of the credit committee of a fund, and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and Institute of Directors of South Africa (IOD).

Non-executive directors

Rod Humphris

Age: 60
Qualifications: BSc (Chem Eng); BCom
Title: Non-executive chairman (appointed 1 June 2017)
Date appointed to board: 11 March 1999
Date of resignation: 31 May 2017 as managing director
Board committee memberships: Social, ethics and risk committee (appointed 1 June 2017) and remuneration committee (appointed 1 June 2017)
Significant directorships: Chairman of Chemical and Allied Industries' Association (CAIA)

Experience: After gaining experience in gold, uranium, flotation and sulphuric acid at Anglo-American's President Brand and Ergo mines, joined Omnia as project engineer in 1982. After occupying various positions within Omnia Group, appointed managing director of Omnia Fertilizer in 1995 and group managing director of Omnia Holdings Limited in 1999. He also served as president of Fertilizer Society of South Africa. Appointed to non-executive chairman of the Group on 1 June 2017.

Dr Willem (Willie) Marais

Age: 61
Qualifications: BCom; MBA; DBA (UP); Professional Valuer
Designation: Non-executive director
Date appointed to board: 15 February 2007
Board committee membership: None
Significant directorships: Institute of Estate Agents of SA

Experience: He is involved in numerous businesses within the property and agriculture sectors. Past president of Institute of Estate Agents of SA, and former member of executive committee of International Consortium of Real Estate Associations.

Helgaard Marais

Age: 59
Qualifications: BAdmin (UP)
Designation: Alternate to Dr WT Marais
Date appointed to board: 3 December 2010
Board committee membership: None
Significant directorships: None

Experience: He has served on the boards of various unlisted companies in the agricultural sector as a non-executive director and as a member of their audit, risk and remuneration committees for 17 years.

Neville Crosse

Age: 64
Qualifications: BSc (Chem Eng); MBL
Designation: Non-executive director
Date of appointment: 1 January 1990
Date of resignation: 31 May 2017
Board committee membership: Social, ethics and risk committee and remuneration committee
Significant directorships: None

Experience: He joined Omnia as project engineer in 1977. Was appointed as managing director of Omnia Fertilizer in 1985 and Group managing director of Omnia Holdings Limited in 1990. Appointed non-executive chairman of Omnia Holdings Limited in 2001 and resigned 31 May 2017.

Executive directors and company secretary

Adriaan Jacques de Lange

Age: 41
Qualifications: B Compt (Hons) CTA; Chartered Accountant (SA)
Designation: Group managing director
Date appointed to board: 1 June 2017
Board committee memberships: Social, ethics and risk committee
Significant directorships: Chairman of the Fertilizer Association of Southern Africa (FERTASA)

Experience:He joined the Group in 2003 as financial controller for BME and was promoted to financial manager, where he played an important part in developing and implementing the mining division’s business strategy. In 2007 he was transferred to Omnia Fertilizer as financial manager and was soon thereafter promoted to financial director of Omnia Fertilizer. He thereafter held various positions in Omnia Fertilizer, including the position of director: Supply Chain, before he was appointed as managing director of Omnia Fertilizer: RSA in 2012. He was appointed as Group managing director with effect from 1 June 2017.

Wayne Koonin

Age: 47
Qualifications: B.Com; B.Acc; Chartered Accountant (SA)
Title: Group finance director
Date appointed to board: 1 August 2014
Significant directorships: None

Experience:He has extensive international experience at CFO/Financial director level, having worked for various Canadian, British, Swiss and South African mining companies with listings on the AIM, ASX, JSE, NASDAQ and TSX exchanges. This provided him with exposure to various international regulatory issues, reporting standards and transactions. Finalist in the 2016 and 2017 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) South Africa Awards and winner of the Finance and Technology category 2017.

Celeste Appollis

Age: 45
Qualifications: BA LLB; HDip Co Law
Title: Group company secretary and BBBEE/EE officer
Date appointed as group company secretary: 1 December 2007
Significant directorships: None

Experience: She was admitted as attorney in 1998 and practised as a legal professional before joining the Department of Public Enterprises in 2001, and became chief director: shareholder management. She joined Omnia as legal adviser in 2004 and was promoted to group company secretary in 2007.