Jonathan Clark
Chief Financial Officer
BComm (Acc), BAcc, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; CA(SA); Member, South African Institute of Chartered AccountantsJonathan Clark has been the Chief Financial Officer of the company since 2008 and is responsible for the overall financial operation and the financial reporting management of the Group. He has 11 years’ experience in corporate finance, equity derivatives and financial management, and seven years’ experience in PGM and chrome mining operations. Jonathan is the former Finance Director of both Eland Platinum and Barplats Investments, and has also served on Nedbank Limited’s corporate finance team where he was responsible for mergers, acquisitions and black economic empowerment transactions.
Michelle Taylor
Chief Operations Officer
ACIS Associate of the Charted Institute of Secretaries and AdministratorsMichelle Taylor has been the Chief Operating Officer of the Company since 2008 and is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Group. She has been involved with the Pouroulis family business for over eight years and is familiar with their operating and reporting procedures and management structure. Michelle has 19 years’ corporate governance and company secretarial experience. She is the former Head of Compliance and Corporate Governance at Eversheds South Africa, where she advised companies such as Eland Platinum Holdings, Barplats Limited, Keaton Energy Holdings Limited and Dimension Data Holdings plc.
Charles Kantor
Chief Legal Officer
Bachelor of Commerce; Bachelor of Law (Rhodes University, SA)Charles Kantor has been the Chief Legal Officer of the Company since 2010 and is responsible for overseeing all legal matters and all matters relating to transactions and risk management for the Group. He has seven years’ experience in the mining industry and has worked on various IPOs, and mergers and acquisitions. A former partner at Routledge Modise (later Eversheds South Africa), Charles has also held senior positions at Datakor Holdings Limited, later Dimension Data Holdings plc, and Cliff Dekker and Todd where he specialised in commercial and corporate law. Charles is also a notary public in South Africa.
Mark Farren
Managing Director: Tharisa Minerals
National Higher Diploma in Mining Engineering (Wits Technikon, SA); Masters in Business Leadership (UNISA)Mark Farren has been the Managing Director of Tharisa Minerals since 2010 and is responsible for the overall management of the Group’s mining operations in South Africa. He has 23 years’ experience in project management and mining operations, including PGM mines. He is the former head of mining at Anglo Platinum, General Manager of the Amandebult section of Rustenburg Platinum Mines and General Manager of Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine. His responsibilities have included mine design, and expansion and long-term strategy development.
Tu Kun
Managing Director
Director: Tharisa Fujian Industrial
MA (Economics), University of Foreign Economics and TradeTu Kun has been the Managing Director of Tharisa Fujian Industrial since 2011 and is responsible for overall project development, public relations and administration of the Group’s operations in China. He has 16 years’ experience in the field of ferro-alloys and was the Managing Director of Mintal Group Co. Limited, a joint venture between China Minmetals Corporation and Goldman Sachs. Tu is the former Vice Chairman of the China Ferro-Alloys Industry Association and has held a number of positions for the People’s Republic of China Chamber of Commerce of Metals Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters (CCCMC), including Managing Director and Board Chairman.
Leon Kamffer
Technical Director
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (University of Pretoria, SA)Leon Kamffer has been the Technical Director of the Company since 2011 and is currently seconded to Tharisa Fujian Industrial to oversee the technical aspects and the construction of the ferrochrome smelter in China. He has extensive experience in the ferrochrome industry, having held various positions at Samancor Limited and later Samancor Chrome Limited. He has also served as a production engineer at Tubatse Ferrochrome and as a production superintendent and operations manager at Middelburg Ferrochrome.
Elize Groesbeek
Managing Director: Arxo Logistics
Bachelor of Commerce in Logistics Management (UNISA)Elize Groesbeek has been the Managing Director of Arxo Logistics, a company that was established to develop the logistics for the Tharisa Mine, since 2009. She is responsible for the overall management of the logistics and transport services provided by Arxo Logistics to the Group’s operations. Elize has over 29 years’ experience in logistics. Prior to joining Arxo Logistics, she worked for Columbus Stainless, holding various managerial positions, including sales and shipping supervisor, traffic manager and logistics area manager.