Speakers – The Joburg Indaba

Vanessa Naicker

Mpumi Mlangeni — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:13:51 +0000

Vanessa Naicker is an accomplished mining and engineering leader with experience spanning petrochemicals, heavy engineering and mining, including operational, technical, business development, mining skills and social impact roles that span the mining value chain, commodities and geographies. A registered Professional Engineer and Certified Director, Vanessa combines technical expertise, systems thinking and inclusive leadership to deliver sustainable outcomes. As Vice President of Social Impact at Anglo American, she leads partnerships and programmes that position mining as a catalyst for inclusive growth. Her portfolio advances priorities critical to South Africa’s future, including mining development, education and future skills, youth and women’s participation, jobs and livelihoods, capable municipalities, regional economic diversification and just transitions. Beyond her executive role, Vanessa contributes to national and industry priorities through board, trustee and advisory positions in education, critical minerals, energy, mining development and engineering and technical skills. She works closely with business, government, academia, state institutions and communities around shared outcomes, with a particular focus on strengthening the systems and talent pipelines required for South Africa to convert its mineral endowment into innovation, competitiveness and broad-based economic opportunity. Vanessa is motivated by the belief that mining must create value far beyond the mine gate. As a mother and mentor, she is personally invested in the world the next generation will inherit. Her leadership is defined by curiosity, courage and a conviction that purposeful collaboration can translate mineral wealth into dignity, opportunity and long-term prosperity across South Africa and the continent.

Mondli Guma

Mpumi Mlangeni — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:54:32 +0000

Mondli Guma is Head of Strategy for Valterra Platinum and has over 15 years’ experience across mining and energy. Prior to joining Valterra Platinum, he held senior strategy and corporate development roles at Vivo Energy, working closely with executive leadership and the Board on the company’s strategic transformation over the past five years.

Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko

Mpumi Mlangeni — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:59:16 +0000

A seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Mxakato-Diseko co-chaired the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on “Resourcing the Energy Transition: Principles to Guide Critical Energy Transition Minerals Towards Equity and Justice”, which recommended seven guiding principles, drawing on existing UN norms, commitments and legal obligations. Having served as the first female South African Sherpa for the G20, she also chaired the High-Level Panel on the Review of the G20@20. She served as South Africa’s first Ambassador at Large for Climate Change, leading the South African team. She and her team are the architects of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the origins of which are the UNFCCC Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. At the Paris Climate talks she was the lead negotiator for the G77 and China, a negotiation bloc of all the 134 developing countries. She has served as South Africa’s Sherpa for the SDGs, Sherpa for the Nuclear Security Summit and South Africa’s Permanent Representative/Ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna and Geneva, as well as Ambassador to Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia. She is a highly experienced and astute global negotiator, having led successful teams in many major complex global negotiations ranging from climate change, sustainable development, trade, human rights, intellectual property rights, ICT and among others nuclear disarmament.

Sephela Makete Thema

Stuart Alderson-Smith — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 12:02:12 +0000

Sephela Makete Thema is an award-winning registered professional mining engineer and sustainability executive with over 15 years of leadership experience across South Africa’s mining sector. Known for driving operational excellence, innovative safety leadership and business performance across multiple mineral commodities. Makete currently serves as the Head of Operations at West Wits Mining where he provides strategic and operational leadership for the West Wits Basin Project and the development of Qala Shallows, South Africa’s first new gold mine in more than 15 years. Makete previously worked for several blue-chip mining companies such as Anglo American, Anglo Platinum, Sibanye Stillwater and Fraser Alexander, where he went up the ranks from supervisory to senior management roles. Makete is widely recognised as a prominent voice for the African Mining Vision, advocating for youth inclusion, community participation and sustainable mining practices. He contributes as an advisory member to several mining industry organisations such as The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), South African Mining Youth Association (SAMYA), Wits University Mining Engineers Association (WUMEA) and the University of Cape Town’s Leaders in Extractives and African Development (LEAD) Alumni chapter. Makete holds both a BSc and MSc in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Pretoria and has completed an Executive Leadership Development Programme from the University of Oxford.

Gugu Nyanda

Mpumi Mlangeni — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:39:40 +0000

Gugu Nyanda is the Managing Director and Health & Public Service lead for Accenture, Africa. Her primary role is to oversee a portfolio that includes government, state-owned entities and the health sector, with a focus on introducing advanced technology solutions to clients within these areas. With over 20 years of experience in strategy and consulting, she has held executive and senior roles in government for more than 13 years. Gugu began her career in education before transitioning to data and policy analysis, eventually specialising in strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation and corporate governance. Her consulting work includes advising clients on strategy, organisational development, monitoring and evaluation and corporate governance, alongside managing IT projects and system implementations. Gugu has worked across various industries, including education, broadcasting, mining, energy and oil, developing corporate strategies and advising on performance monitoring and strategy execution. A passionate advocate for developing young people and empowering women leaders, Gugu has served on ministerial committees, university councils and boards of state entities. She holds an MBA from GIBS, an Honours degree in Geography and Environmental Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Education, both from the University of Zululand.

Wilhelm Schultz

Mpumi Mlangeni — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:33:44 +0000

Wilhelm Schulz has more than 25 years of management consulting and operational improvement experience in the mining, power, oil and gas and manufacturing sectors. He has held positions at Anglo Amercian and McKinsey & Company. He joined Partners in Performance in 2013.A holder of an MBA from Oxford University and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical), cum laude, from the University of Pretoria, he has helped clients in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas on their most important strategic, operational and organisational issues.

Agesan Rajagopaul

Mpumi Mlangeni — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:15:29 +0000

Agesan Rajagopaul is a Partner at McKinsey & Company and Head of McKinsey’s Global Energy and Materials practice in Africa. He leads the firm’s work with clients in heavy industries, with a particular focus on strategy and digital transformation. Agesan has supported a wide range of strategic and operational topics, including large corporate turnarounds, growth strategy, post-merger management and more recently, the application of digital and analytics to drive performance improvement. Alongside his client work, he has developed several new approaches aimed at delivering rapid impact in heavy industries, leveraging big data and advanced analytics to unlock the next horizon of productivity and performance gains.

Frances Phillips

Mpumi Mlangeni — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:06:00 +0000

Frances Phillips is a Partner in Kearney Africa’s Energy and Process Industries practice and a transformation leader with more than 15 years of experience shaping the continent’s evolving energy sector. An operator-turned consultant, she combines strategic rigour, practical industry experience and a deeply people-centred leadership style to help energy institutions navigate structural change. Her work spans sector reform, enterprise strategy, operating-model redesign, organisational transformation and implementation. She works at the intersection of government, regulators, state-owned enterprises and private-sector participants, aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared direction and translating complex policy and strategic ambitions into practical, executable change. Through this work, Frances helps organisations become more resilient, commercially sustainable and equipped to operate in increasingly liberalised and competitive energy markets.

Dawn Earp

Mpumi Mlangeni — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 06:58:26 +0000

Dawn is an accomplished finance and governance professional with extensive experience in senior leadership and board roles. She has previously served as a Financial Director and currently holds several non-executive directorships across listed and multinational organisations. Her board appointments include ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd and Truworths International Ltd, all listed on the JSE, as well as Pan African Resources Ltd, which maintains dual primary listings on both the JSE and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). In addition to her board responsibilities, Dawn serves on a number of board sub-committees and has extensive experience as both a member and chairperson of Audit and Risk Committees, providing strategic oversight in corporate governance, financial reporting, risk management and regulatory compliance.

Neo Tsajoa

Mpumi Mlangeni — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:38:55 +0000

Neo Tsajoa is a mining engineering professional currently serving as a Shift Supervisor at Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine (SBPM). As an emerging leader within the mining industry, she is committed to building a distinguished career and contributing to the advancement of the sector, while inspiring more students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). She holds a Bachelor of Science (Bsc.) in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) from Wits Business School (WBS). Neo has established a strong professional presence through early industry engagements and participation in platforms such as the Mining Indaba. She is an active member of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), now serving as the Secretary of the Limpopo Branch. She also holds a Mine Overseer’s Certificate issued by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) and is registered as a Candidate Engineer with Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).