Seelan Gobalsamy

Age

44

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

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

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

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

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

Age

49

Qualifications

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

Title

Group Executive: Business Initiatives

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.

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

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.

Michael Smith

Age

52

Qualifications

BSc (Chem Eng); MBA

Title

Managing director: 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.

Jacques de Villiers

Age

42

Qualifications

B.Eng (Mechanical)

Title

Managing director: Manufacturing

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. He was appointed as managing director of Omnia Fertilizer on 1 June 2017.

Jan Vermaak

Age

50

Qualifications

B Eng (Chemical Engineering)

Title

Managing director: Agriculture

Appointment date

1 February 2012

Experience: Jan spent the first seven years of his career in the petrochemical and crude refining industries, holding various technical and production management positions. He joined Omnia in February 2001 as technical and production manager. After holding various supply chain, technical and production positions in the Omnia Fertilizer Division, he joined the Omnia Fertilizer Board in 2006. In 2012 he was promoted to Managing Director: International, and Business Development. He served as ambassador for the International Fertilizer Association since 2013.