Bontle holds a B. Eng (Hons) Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and is currently doing a programme in Executive Leadership at the Harvard Business School. Bontle was an Exxaro bursar who worked through the ranks at Exxaro in the engineering discipline and later got retrenched at Arnot Mine. She is the co-founder and CEO of Arnot Opco, which is an employee-led coal mining company that successfully took over Arnot Mine to restart operations.

Vuslat Bayoglu is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of mining investment company Menar, which has controlling stakes in Canyon Coal, Zululand Anthracite Colliery, Kangra and East Manganese. He holds an Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and has over 17 years’ experience in the mining industry. During that period, he has led the group’s subsidiaries from junior to mid-tier status through organic growth and acquisitions.  Vuslat is a hands-on investor with a keen interest in improving the South African economy. He is actively involved in seeking solutions to key issues faced by South Africa. Bayoglu also serves on the board of the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT).

Johann Bester is Project Manager for IPPs at Thebe Investment Corporation, which he joined in 2015.  Within Thebe’s Energy and Resources Division he is mainly responsible for Thebe’s interests in the energy, water and mining sectors.  Bester has more than 20 years of experience in project finance, large beneficiation and mining.  Bester headed up Eskom’s coal procurement business unit from late 2010 to mid-2015.  At Thebe he manages Thebe’s investments in the renewable energy and coal sector, as well as Thebe’s interest in the “just transition”.  Johann initially qualified as an engineer and holds an MSc in Materials Science from the University of Cape Town and a MBA from the University of the West of England.

An accountant with more than two decades of experience in the South African coal industry. He founded South African-focused coal trading company Chandler Coal (Pty) Ltd in 1997 following a successful executive management career in various industries. In 2005, after a period of exponential growth, the company was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) as Wescoal Holdings Limited, enabling a transition from purely coal trading activities to a fully-fledged coal miner and trader. Wescoal , with three fully operational mines, is now one of the leading junior coal mining and trading companies in southern Africa. Andre was appointed to the Board of Directors of Minergy in January 2017 and its Chief Executive Officer in February 2017. On 31 July 2018 Andre retired as CEO, accepting a position to remain involved with Minergy as a Strategic Advisor.

Aubrey Chauke is the Co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer of Lurco Group, with over 16 years’ experience in the financial management of complex integrated coal projects. Prior to founding Lurco, Aubrey formed his own consulting firm, Lenani Consulting, which supported government institutions with financial consulting services that included energy supply and planning. He previously worked at Gobodo Incorporated as an audit manager, focusing largely on government briefs and at PKF as an accounts clerk. Aubrey is an advocate of the strategic role mining can play in the development of inclusive economies and sustainable and empowered communities. Aubrey is a registered member of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA).

Ian has over 40 years’ experience in the mining industry, having previously been responsible for business development in AngloGold, CEO of both Gold Fields Ltd and AngloCoal between 1999 and 2009, and a former Executive Chairman of Petmin Ltd, a JSE mining company concentrating on bulk commodities 2010 - 2017.  Ian was Chairman of Black Rock World Mining Trust, a Non-Executive Director of Orica Ltd in Australia, a Senior lead Independent Director of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, a Non-Executive Director at Endeavour Mining Corporation and an advisor to several other companies associated with the natural resources sector. In addition, Ian is Chairman of Conservation 360, a Botswana conservation NGO dealing with anti-poaching initiatives. He is a former Chairman of Leadership for Conservation in Africa 2007 – 2017, a not-for-profit organisation promoting sustainable employment opportunities linked to conservation projects across the African continent.

Professor Rosemary Falcon recently retired as DST NRF SARChI Chair of Clean Coal Technology and is now Professor Emeritus at Wits in the Engineering Faculty. 

She has been involved in coal for over 40 years, in corporate, consulting, academic and research positions.  She graduated with a PhD from Wits followed by advanced training in coal science and technology for trade and utilisation at the Berbau Forschung in Germany and the National Coal Board in the UK.  She established a coal research group in Wits in the late 1970s followed by her own consulting and research company where she working with industry for the following 20 years.

After a brief spell as Programme Manager at the CSIR (Enertek) and three years in the Eskom Research Facility in Rosherville, she joined Wits once again in the late 1990s.  From that time she has  led fundamental and applied coal research in the Faculty of Engineering, supervised over 80 doctoral and Masters students and taught coal science and technology to over 2 000 industrial personnel and postgraduate students for application in a broad spectrum of industries.  

She has received a number of national and international awards, has written over 80 publications, co-authored two books, contributed to a number of other books and produced more than 2000 technical reports on applied industrial investigations, research and development.  

She attended meetings in the UN-ECE Coal Working Groups in Geneva as the South African technical representative for several years, was Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage of South Africa for a period and is currently Director of the Fossil Fuel Foundation of SA.  She now consults to industry, is an expert witness in various coal-related legal matters and is promoting clean coal technologies and policies specifically applicable to Southern African coals and conditions.

Puneet Gupta has a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from I.I.T. Delhi. He has more than 10 years of experience in domestic and international commodity trade. He has been associated with several global events in his capacity as an international expert in coal and petcoke. He has been quoted several times by international media for his views on Indian policy decisions and price movements in the energy sector. Puneet is the founder of CoalShastra.com, a pioneering B2B marketplace for coal trade where buyers and sellers deal in a secure environment. With around 2,500 member companies across India, CoalShastra is successfully used by end users to exploit cost and fuel type arbitrages and by suppliers for easy liquidation of cargoes.

Greg is a Mining Engineer with 30 years’ experience in the resources industry, having worked in various senior positions in the mining industry across the African continent. He has extensive experience in the resource finance sector, having worked for UAL Merchant Bank, Deutsche Bank and Nedbank. He is currently employed in a senior position with Noble Group, a global commodity trading company.

Sajid started his professional career back in 2008 in the textile sector after graduating with a degree in Textile Engineering. In 2013, when he started his Master’s degree, he moved to the energy sector and specifically into coal and worked for various prestigious organizations in Pakistan. Since September 2019 Sajid has been working with Visa Resources Pte Ltd, a multinational trading house based in Singapore.

 During his seven years in the coal industry he has gained hands-on experience in the following: physical trading of coal (South Africa, Indonesia and Russia) and pet coke (Saudi, USA); trade finance, shipping and chartering-related matters; supply chain and operations at Karachi from port to the yards and to the customer sites; coal cargo operations/documentations from the loading port to the destination port and to the end destination; negotiations with stevedores, agents and draft surveyors; development of a strong inland transportation network to ensure timely delivery; implementation of quality control measures; and sales and marketing to the SME customer in various small industries.

Jacques began his working career in 2004 training as an accountant with Questus Incorporated. He then went on to hold Senior Financial Management positions with various companies in the steel manufacturing and Information Systems and Technology sectors prior to joining Coalvest in 2012. Jacques holds an Honours degree in Finance from the University of Free State.

Divyesh has been involved in the logistics Industry for more than 20 years in various professional, consulting and leadership roles. His operational and commercial experience and knowledge spans across production, warehousing, road distribution, rail, ports and inland terminals. Divyesh spent nearly nine years as the Commercial General Manager at Transnet where he was responsible for the negotiations and conclusion of long-term Take or Pay contracts with potential customers for port and rail, price determination and negotiations, capacity allocation frameworks and governance across all channels, strategies and implementation for enabling emerging miners.
Commodity strategies and solutions and responsibilities across most commodities, including the major bulk commodities, namely coal, iron ore and manganese. Divyesh was recently appointed as the Executive Head of Makoya Advisory Services to lead the business in the areas of logistics and supply chain advisory services to the public and private sector.

Yolisa Kani is Transnet’s Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) and is responsible for overall sales performance of the company, increasing the share of logistics spend from existing and new customers through identifying and pursuing new and diversified business opportunities locally and within the region and increasing Private and Public Partnerships. In her role as CBDO, Yolisa works closely with all Transnet Operating Divisions to lead and support customer and business growth, with the focus on customer excellence and developing innovative customer solutions, as well as expanding Transnet’s footprint.

Yolisa is an astute business executive with 22 years’ experience in Transport Engineering, Planning & Operations. She has a BSc (Hons) in Applied Science qualification, with a specialisation in Transportation Engineering, from the University of Pretoria. She holds certificates in accounting and economics from Harvard University. She has also undergone an Advanced Professional Training in Integrated Transport Solutions in Germany, Spain and Geneva through the Union for International Transport Planners.

She joined Transnet after serving as the Head of Public Policy in Southern Africa at Uber Technologies, where she was responsible for public policy and expansions into new markets in Southern Africa. At Uber, Yolisa successfully brokered the deal between the company and the taxi industry in South Africa through strategic negotiations. She also was the lead for new mobility projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Previously she also held senior government positions in the Ekurhuleni Metro, the Cross-Border Road and Transportation Agency as well as the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

Amongst her many notable achievements and accolades, Yolisa was in 2019 named one of the Top 100 Women Transport Planners globally by the German Development Agency and a Top 50 Inspiring Woman in Tech by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. She has served on various boards and currently serves as the Chairperson of the South African Cities Network and a member of the NEPAD Business Foundation.

Lucky Kgatle obtained a BSc in Engineering: Industrial from Wits University in 2001.  He also has an MBA from GIBS which he received in 2009. He has held a number of positions at Sasol, including Vice President, Strategy and Business Development; Executive Manager, Operations Excellence; General Manager, Syferfontein Colliery; General Manager, Coal Handling Plant; Manager, Manufacturing and Site Work, Central Workshop; Section Engineer, Central Workshop; Reliability Engineer; Technical Advisor. He is currently Senior Vice President, a position he has held since January 2016. He is responsible for initiating the design and development of systems and processes and services to ensure a sustainable coal delivery and shaping the organisation within the external socio-economic environment as a responsible player in the coal mining industry.  He is also required to maintain the organisation’s image/relationship with all stakeholders, but specifically the DMR, the local government and the local communities.  He is also responsible for the development and execution of the organisation’s long-term strategy (10 to 40 years). In addition to being a director at Sasol Mining and Sasol Mining Holdings, he is also a director of Ixia Coal, Ixia Coal Funding and the Sasol Rehabilitation Trust. He is a member of the Engineering Council of South Africa.

Dan Mashigo has been with Eskom for 27 years, mostly in the power generation group. His senior management role in Eskom has been as Power Station Manager for about 6 years, from 2003 to 2009, at Majuba and Kriel Power Stations. He joined the Primary Energy Division in 2009 as Senior Manager Coal. In the Primary Energy Division, he occupied various roles including Senior Manager Coal Contracts, Senior Manager Projects Portfolio, Acting General Manager Coal Operations and Project Lead for Business Improvement. In 2017 – 2018, he transferred to the subsidiary company, Eskom Rotek Industries, in the role of General Manager Operations. In April 2018, he was seconded back to Eskom as Acting Senior General Manager Primary Energy until April 2019 when he was appointed General Manager Primary Energy.

Kolobe Nala Investment Company (Pty) Ltd (KNI) is a family-owned business focused on investments in mining, energy and aviation and is headed by Billy Mawasha, who has extensive mining experience with Anglo American, Rio Tinto, De Beers and AngloGold Ashanti to name but a few. Until recently, Billy was the Country Head in South Africa for Rio Tinto and the MD of Richards Bay Minerals. In addition, Billy serves on the Board of Metair Investments Ltd (MTA:SJ – Automotive Components and Battery Manufacturer) and is the Chairman of their Investment Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk and Nomination Committees. Billy is also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Billy’s experience, a strong network of relationships in the mining industry and his understanding of doing business across the continent, enables KNI to bring long-term value-adding perspectives, hands-on and pragmatic expertise and solid operational and technical know-how to projects they invest in. This is realised through strategic guidance and active participation in the board of directors and associated committees, in particular the investment, technical and risk committees and through working collaboratively with relevant parties and management teams. 

Paul is a business development specialist with a background in sales consulting, financial services, mining finance, minerals exploration, mine development and mining operations. He has previously worked as a management consultant, with Accenture, in the South African logistics, mining and financial services sectors and advised clients on equity capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions and Black Economic Empowerment transactions while an investment banker with Nedbank CIB. He was Founder and Managing Director of Keaton Energy, which was then a start-up coal exploration company.  He led the team which took the company through a listing and equity capital raising on the JSE, project financed and built a 2.4mtpa open-cast colliery and acquired and turned-around a distressed ultra-low seam anthracite colliery.  He then had a second stint with Nedbank CIB as a specialist Mining & Metals Investment Banker with responsibility for growing the bank’s business across all products in South Africa and into the rest of Africa. Until recently, Paul was Managing Director of CCP 12J Managers (Pty) Ltd, the management company of CCP 12J Fund Limited, a mining-focused venture capital company, established in terms of Section 12J of the Income Tax Act. Paul is currently a Director of AmaranthCX, a consultancy. Paul was listed in Miningmx’s Rainmakers and Potstirrers as one of the 100 most influential people in SA’s mining industry in every edition from 2008 to 2012 and again in 2018. He is a member of the JSE’s Alt^x Advisory Committee.  Paul is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and is frequently quoted in the press. Paul completed INSEAD’s Advanced Management Programme at the Singapore campus in 2015 and has a B.Comm (Hons) degree (cum laude) from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

Tycho Möncks is a Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group, Johannesburg office. Since joining BCG in 2007, Tycho has supported mining clients across a broad range of topics including strategy, operations, and organization.

Tycho has many years of on-site, hands-on mining experience. He brings deep insights into global commodity markets and understands the intersect of global developments with South Africa specific dynamics. Tycho has extensively worked with clients, and written about, opportunities derived from commodity strategy with a specific focus on coal.

July was appointed CEO of Coal South Africa in September 2016. Prior to that, he held the position of Executive Head of Processing at Anglo American Platinum and was employed by Anglo American subsidiaries in Zimbabwe, where he held senior managerial positions in metallurgical operations and technical services. In 2001, he transferred to Anglo American Platinum, where he was first appointed business manager of the Polokwane Smelter, then head of process technology. July graduated in Engineering and Business Leadership from the Universities of Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively, and completed the Senior Executive Programme with Columbia Business School.

Xavier has a MSc in Engineering Geology UMSA; Diploma in Mining and Exploration from the Montan University, Leoben, Austria, Graduate Diploma in Engineering and M. Eng. degree from Wits.
He has been in coal since 1977, established the Geological Survey’s National Coal Database (NCDB); was Genmin IT Exploration Manager and joined the Minerals Bureau, DME in 1995, as Chief Mineral Economist; Coal and Hydrocarbons. He was appointed Coal Senior Analyst, Wood Mackenzie, Southern Africa and since 2009 is consulting privately with XMP Consulting. He promotes South Africa’s coal mining industry within government and industry groups, lectures at Universities as well as companies on coal science, i.e. coal reserves, economics, quality control, marketing and clean coal technologies. He has extensive experience in reserves and resources. His main tasks are optimisation of coal utilisation and marketing, economic empowerment in coal, evaluation of coal reserves, implementation of clean coal technologies (CCTs) and impact of the use of fossil fuels. Xavier belongs to several local and international coal committees and groups involved in coal science and technology.

A qualified Mining Engineer with 24+ years’ experience in mine development, mining finance and mining operations in energy minerals, base metals, precious metals and industrial minerals. He started his career with Iscor Mining in coal, iron ore and titanium mining operations and mine development. He was part of the part of the team that developed the mining portfolio of Iscor Heavy Minerals, now owned by Tronox. He consulted to major mining companies in Africa, South America, North America and Europe in mine turnaround and optimisation including Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti, Kaiser Aluminium, Outokumpu and RAG Coal. He co-founded a mining contracting company that mined 1.5 million tons of coal per annum for Anglo Coal for 6 years and was a co-founder of ASX listed Universal Coal, where he developed the Kangala Coal Mine and coal project portfolio. He is a Director of MX Mining Capital Advisors, which advises mine developers, mine owners and mining investors on financing of mining projects. He is a board member of Maatla Energy, which is developing the Mmamabula coal mine and coal-to-liquids project in Botswana. Mike is currently working on the financing of mining projects for clients in energy minerals, base metals, precious metals and industrial minerals in Africa, Asia, America and Europe.

John Smelt spent 15 years as a fund manager, initially specialising in the stock markets of Africa and the Middle East and then covering global mining. From 2003, John transferred to the corporate side, working for several mining companies including 3 new listings in London and latterly as Global Head of Investor Relations for Rio Tinto.

Clayton is Chartered Accountant (CA SA) having started out with PricewaterhouseCoopers as an auditor in Johannesburg, leading onto the role of a commercial finance analyst with Akzo Nobel in London. Clayton returned to South Africa to join  Mondelez International as the senior commercial finance analyst covering emerging markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. His interest and experience in emerging markets facilitated the move to Export Trading Group, a Singapore-based, African-focused emerging market commodity supply chain business. Currently, Clayton is a Portfolio Manager at Barak Fund Management responsible for originating, structuring and managing transactions throughout the value chain with a focus on the energy sector. 

From his beginnings in education to his career in Human Resources, Mike has gained extensive experience in people and business management in BHP and Impala, as well as CEO of Optimum Coal Holdings (prior to it being taken over by Glencore). Mike is the Chairperson and controlling shareholder of the Masimong Group and serves as Chair/Non-Executive Director at the Anchor Group, Rofles Holdings and the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. He is also a past president of the Chamber of Mines and serves on the Council of the Chamber. In keeping with his passion to leave a legacy for the next generation, Mike serves on the board of the University of Johannesburg.

Alan Waller is the Chief Executive Officer at Richards Bay Coal Terminal (Proprietary) Limited.  He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1996 after which he joined Mondi Limited at Mondi Forests as an Accountant, subsequently moving to Mondi Kraft where he held several financial positions over an 8-year period.  He was appointed as the General Manager Finance at RBCT in 2005, a position which he held until 2015, where after he was appointed to his current role as CEO. His motto in life is: “Hard work never killed anybody and do not expect anyone to do anything that you are not prepared to do yourself.”