About Neo

Neal Froneman's career spans four decades in mining and minerals. After graduating, he worked through the ranks at Gold Fields, Harmony, and JCI before being appointed CEO of Aflease Gold in 2003. Through a series of reverse take-overs, Aflease became Gold One International in 2009; during this period, he was instrumental in spinning out the company's uranium assets to create Uranium One.

He was appointed CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater on 1 January 2013 and over the following 12 years led its transformation from a 1.5 Moz South Africa-based gold miner into a leading diversified metals producer with an international operating footprint – including a position as the world's top primary producer of PGM metals. He stepped down as CEO at the end of September 2025.

 His broader commitments include the Wits Foundation Board of Governors, the World Gold Council (Chairman since 2023), and Business Against Crime South Africa, where he serves as both director and chairman.

Sajjad Sabur is Chief Investment Officer at Gilini Group, where he is responsible for investment strategy, governance, and the oversight of portfolio companies. He also serves as an adviser to businesses and institutional investors, with a particular focus on impact and sustainability.

Before joining Gilini in 2023, Saj was Managing Director and Head of Direct Investments within the HSBC Private Equity business, where he served as a member of its global investment committee. His advisory work spans strategy, business development, management, fundraising, and financial structuring. He currently serves as a director of a number of diverse businesses.

Saj holds a BA (Hons) in Economics, is a qualified Chartered Accountant, and holds an MBA from London Business School.

John Wallington brings more than 40 years of mining industry experience, with operational leadership across South Africa, Australia, Colombia, and Canada.

He spent 27 years at Anglo American plc, culminating in his appointment as CEO of Anglo Coal. Earlier, he served as CEO of Anglo Coal South Africa (2001–2004). Subsequent executive roles include CEO of Coal of Africa (2010–2013), Head of Energy at Sibanye (2016–2018), and CEO of Riversdale Resources in Canada (2020–2022). His non-executive experience encompasses Keaton Energy (2009), Buffalo Coal (2015), Kwatani (2018–2020), and, from July 2024, Glencore.

John holds a BSc in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and has completed executive programmes at both the London Business School and Harvard Business School. He is certified through the ICD Rotman Board Dynamics Programme at the University of Toronto.

Johan Reeder is a Chartered Accountant with 35 years of international experience spanning the mining, manufacturing, and utilities sectors. Working across Africa, Australia, and the Middle East, he built a reputation for strengthening corporate resilience through robust governance, risk management, and control frameworks.

A specialist in organisational transformation, Johan has held senior executive roles in both listed and unlisted entities, leading complex restructurings and aligning operational performance with long-term shareholder value. His depth of experience in financial oversight and regulatory compliance positions him to provide an effective, constructive challenge at the board level across diverse international regulatory environments.

Theo Botoulas brings a personal connection to Neo’s flagship asset that few executives can claim. Early in his career, he worked operationally at the Oryx mine – now the New Beisa Node at the heart of Neo’s Free State development strategy – giving him direct, ground-level knowledge of the infrastructure the company is bringing back into production. Raised in Kimberley, he also has close familiarity with the opportunities presented by Neo Energy’s Henkries Nodt in the Northern Cape.

He holds a B.Eng. and M.Sc. in Mining Engineering, Mine Manager’s and Mine Overseer’s Certificates of Competency (Metalliferous Mines), and is a Registered Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa. His career spans more than 40 years in mining across Africa, covering uranium, gold, diamonds, base metals, and industrial minerals.

De Wet Schutte has more than 30 years of experience in the mining and finance sectors in South Africa and internationally. A Chartered Accountant registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, he has also completed the Top Executive Programme at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.

He has held senior executive roles across Africa, including as Chief Financial Officer and executive director of listed and unlisted mining companies operating in the gold, coal, iron ore, platinum group metals, and uranium sectors. He has extensive experience in finance, governance, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and business turnarounds.

Frederik Brand joined Neo Energy Metals in January 2026, bringing 24 years of experience in governance, risk management, compliance, and legal affairs. He has held senior roles at Meridian, Glencore plc, and Barrick Gold, where he worked closely with executive leadership teams and boards in complex, highly regulated operating environments.

Frederik provides cross-functional leadership across risk and control frameworks, governance and compliance programmes, board reporting, stock exchange compliance, and disclosure obligations. He holds an MBA and a Doctorate in Business Management from Hult International Business School and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.