Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodity trading groups, announced on August 13 the appointment of Hervé Otschudi as its Executive Director in the DRC. Present in the DRC for more than 25 years, the group supports clients across the energy, metals and minerals sectors.
Trafigura is also a shareholder in the Lobito Atlantic Railway, an open-access rail corridor linking the DRC’s Copperbelt to the port of Lobito in Angola, providing an efficient route for the export and import of goods.
In his new role, Hervé Otschudi will be responsible for Trafigura’s strategic development in the DRC, as well as relations with the government and institutions. He will also oversee the group’s activities in the country, including trading operations in the energy, metals and minerals sectors, as well as related logistics operations.
“I am honored to join Trafigura as Executive Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC plays a critical role in the global supply of critical resources. I look forward to working with our teams, partners and stakeholders to strengthen Trafigura’s activities in the country, while building long-term partnerships that create shared value — supporting both the DRC’s economic development and Trafigura’s sustainable growth. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and excited to begin this new chapter,” Hervé Otschudi said on his LinkedIn page.
Gonzalo De Olazaval, Trafigura’s Global Head of Metals & Minerals, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hervé to his new role. His deep knowledge of the commodities sector in the DRC and his extensive on-the-ground experience make him the ideal person to lead our activities in the country. The DRC is an important and rapidly growing hub for metals, minerals and energy. This appointment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the country and to the clients we support across the region.”
A career forged in finance
Hervé Otschudi’s new position resonates with a career built across the sectors that underpin the Congolese economy.
His professional career began in the demanding world of financial markets. In 2005, he joined Citigroup Congo as a foreign exchange and money market trader, before becoming Country Treasurer. He was introduced to the mechanisms of international finance, market volatility and the importance of risk management. In 2006, he also worked as a trader at Citigroup Uganda, an early experience that helped shape his understanding of regional markets.
In 2007, he shifted towards commodities by joining BHP Billiton as a Market Analyst/Economist. This experience brought him closer to a sector that would gradually become one of the defining threads of his career. He subsequently returned to banking at Ecobank, where, from 2008 to 2010, he headed the treasury and financial institutions division.
From banking to business development
He then joined Standard Bank Group in 2012, moving closer to corporate finance and major economic players. As Senior Account Executive, and later Head of Coverage for western DRC, he developed an in-depth understanding of the local business landscape. At the same time, between 2012 and 2016, he served as an expert for the Association of Congolese Banks on the Central Bank committee overseeing the country’s de-dollarization project.
This progression naturally led to increasingly senior responsibilities. At FBNBank DRC, he worked across retail and corporate banking before joining UBA DRC in 2019 as Deputy Managing Director. There, he further developed a skill that had become central to his career: understanding companies, their financing needs and their growth opportunities in a constantly evolving economic environment.
The strategic turn at Gécamines
After several years in finance, Hervé Otschudi moved closer to the mining sector. In 2023, he joined Gécamines as a board member and Business Development Advisor to the Board of Directors. At the Congolese state-owned mining company, he found himself at the heart of the strategic challenges facing a sector in which the DRC is one of the world’s leading players. The experience gave him an even more direct understanding of the dynamics surrounding mineral resources, partnerships and business development.
A commitment beyond large corporations
His career, however, is not limited to major corporations. He has also contributed to the development of a more dynamic private sector. Since 2022, he has served as Vice-President of the National SME Commission of the Federation of Enterprises of the Congo. He is also involved in corporate governance. Since 2024, he has served as an independent director of Sofibanque and as a director of Agrico. Between 2024 and 2026, he also served as Managing Director of Tennor Holding B.V. in the DRC.
Passing knowledge on to the next generation
This extensive career has not distanced Hervé Otschudi from education and knowledge-sharing. Passionate about education, he has been teaching at the École Supérieure de Management de Kinshasa since 2016. It is a way of sharing with a new generation of professionals the experience he has gained in international banks, corporations and the mining sector.
His academic background complements this career path. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management between 2000 and 2004, he obtained an MBA in Financial Management from the University of Cape Town in 2011. He subsequently pursued the Accelerated Development Programme at London Business School in 2017 and the OCP Group Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School in 2023.
From finance to mining, Hervé Otschudi has learned to read the Congolese economy from multiple perspectives. At Trafigura, he will now be tasked with turning that experience into a strategy for growth in a DRC that sits at the heart of global challenges surrounding metals and minerals.
