Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world’s largest platinum producer, has announced the appointment of Steve Phiri as its new nonexecutive director, effective from October 10. Phiri is the former CEO of Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat), a mid-tier platinum group metals (PGMs) miner that was recently acquired by Impala Platinum (Implats) in a $1.6 billion deal.
According to Amplats, Phiri’s appointment “supports the orderly succession and rotation of long serving directors in terms of skills retention and handover of key positions.” Phiri has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry, having held various senior positions at RBPlat, Merafe Resources, and Royal Bafokeng Holdings. He is also a qualified lawyer and a former anti-apartheid activist.
Phiri led RBPlat for 11 years, during which he oversaw the expansion of its operations and the development of its social and environmental initiatives. He was also instrumental in negotiating the sale of RBPlat to Implats, which was finalized in August this year. The deal created one of the largest PGMs producers in the world, with a combined output of over 3 million ounces of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold per year. RBPlat is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Implats and has been renamed Impala Bafokeng.
Phiri’s appointment comes at a time when Amplats is facing several challenges, including rising costs, labor disputes, power shortages, and environmental regulations. The company is also pursuing a strategy of diversifying its portfolio and investing in new technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells and battery metals.
Amplats CEO Natascha Viljoen said she was delighted to welcome Phiri to the board and looked forward to working with him. She praised his “extensive experience and knowledge of the PGMs sector” and his “strong leadership skills and values.”
Phiri said he was honored to join Amplats and expressed his gratitude to the RBPlat team for their support during his tenure. He said he was excited to contribute to Amplats’ vision of “reimagining mining to improve people’s lives.”
Source: Mining Weekly
