Oliver Baring is a former managing director of UBS in the Corporate Finance Division, where he was responsible for the Africa and Mining sectors. Before the merger with SG Warburg, he was a partner of Rowe & Pitman, having spent five years with the Anglo American/De Beers group in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Mr Baring is currently non-executive chairman of Ridge Mining plc, and is non-executive chairman of First Africa Holdings Limited, a non-executive director of Blackrock World Mining Trust plc and Ferrexpo plc, and an adviser to the Sentient Resources Fund.
Kalaa Mpinga, who is a citizen of the DRC, has held a number of senior positions in different locations around the world. His career has included working for Bechtel Corporation in San Francisco and Anglo American Corporation of South Africa from 1991. In 1995 he joined the New Mining Division, the division responsible for exploration and the acquisition of resources in Africa. He was appointed a director of Anglo American Corporation in 1997. Mr Mpinga left the group in December 2001 to pursue business opportunities in mining, founding Mwana Africa Holdings (Pty) Limited, the forerunner of Mwana Africa, in 2003.
Donald McAlister has significant breadth of experience in the mining sector, including 19 years of experience as a finance director for African mining companies. Prior to joining Mwana Africa he was Finance Director of Ridge Mining PLC from 1999 until its acquisition by Aquarius Platinum in July 2009. At Ridge Mining he helped manage the acquisition, financing and development, through to production of the Blue Ridge platinum mine. Prior to Ridge Mining, Mr McAlister was Finance Director at Reunion Mining PLC where his experience included the financing of gold and base metal mines in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. Before that he worked in finance roles at Centurion Mining PLC, Enterprise Oil PLC and Cluff Oil PLC. He is currently a non-executive director of AIM listed mining company Tertiary Minerals plc where he is Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Stuart Morris was appointed to the Board in December 2005. He became a partner of KPMG South Africa in 1976, later becoming chairman and a member of the KPMG International executive and board. He was chairman of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants Ethics Committee, has served on the boards of Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including a period as president, and the South African Chamber of Business as a Public Investment Commissioner; and was a Council member of Witwatersrand University. From 1999 until 2004, when he retired, Mr Morris was Group Financial Director of Nedbank Group Limited. He is currently an independent non-executive director and chairman of the audit committees of several other listed and unlisted entities.
John Anderson was appointed to the Board in February 2007. A director of J O Hambro Investment Management Limited, he manages investment portfolios for what is predominantly an international client base. Prior to joining the company in 1988, he was a director of J Henry Schroder Wagg, where he was instrumental in establishing Schroder Securities Limited. Previously he was both Finance and International Partner at London Stock Brokers Panmure Gordon & Co. Mr Anderson has been involved in natural resources and emerging markets for more than 40 years and is a qualified chartered accountant and a graduate of Edinburgh University.
Etienne Denis was appointed to the Board in February 2007. He holds a PhD in Science from the University of Louvain (UCL). After working at the university and with Gécamines in the DRC, he joined Umicore (formerly known as Union Minière) in 1974 where he held a number of management positions, including those of Managing Director of Union Zinc, Umicore Engineering and Sibeka until 2003. When he retired, Dr Denis became a board member of Umicore until mid-2005 when he moved to the board of Cumerio. He was a director of Adastra Minerals Inc. until 2006, when it was purchased by First Quantum Minerals.
