De Beers Group announced, on December 14, the appointment of the South African Thembinkosi Moses Madondo as Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations, effective from 1 January 2022, following the announcement that Nompumelelo ‘Mpumi’ Zikalala will leave the business to take up the position of CEO of Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore business.
De Beers Group Managed Operations encompasses De Beers Group’s mining operations in Canada and South Africa.
Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. De Beers Group develops a portfolio of offers, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions, such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives GemFair and Tracr.
23 years of experience in the mining industry
Thembinkosi Moses Madondo joins De Beers Group from AngloGold Ashanti where he is Senior Vice President: Innovation and Technology. A mechanical engineer by profession, Moses has 23 years of experience in the mining industry, having started at AngloGold in 1998, and has held various senior and executive roles during this time, spanning Engineering Manager, Process Manager, General Manager and Senior Vice President. Prior to his current role, he was Senior Vice President for AngloGold Ashanti’s South Africa operations.
Thembinkosi Moses Madondo has demonstrable leadership experience and a proven track record of delivery, particularly in leading underground mining operations, and for achieving impressive safety performance across the operations within his portfolio.
Thembinkosi Moses Madondo has recently served on the Board of the Minerals Council South Africa and Rand Refinery Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Cape Town and has completed an Advanced Management Programme through Harvard Business School.
The ideal candidate
Commenting on the appointment of Thembinkosi Moses Madondo, Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “Moses brings extensive knowledge of the mining sector, an innate understanding of strategy and innovation, and outstanding operational leadership. He is the ideal candidate to lead our Managed Operations business as we continue the successful delivery of the $2 billion Venetia Underground Project in South Africa and maintain strong operational performance at Gahcho Kué mine in Canada. His expertise will be essential as we continue to deliver the benefits of our FutureSmart Mining™ programme, while ensuring we remain steadfast on our ambitious Building Forever sustainability commitments. I’m delighted to welcome Moses to De Beers Group and look forward to working closely with him.”
