Executive Team


 

Roger Williams
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Roger Williams

Non-Executive Chairman
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Roger is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ international experience in mining finance, and with an honours degree in French and Spanish. After 10 years at Randgold Resources including 5 years as Group Finance Director, Roger went on to become Chief Financial Officer of JSE-listed AECI Limited. He has served on a number of boards in the mining and mining services sectors and is currently Chief Financial Officer of a privately-owned mining company. After various interim roles at Digby Wells Environmental, including acting CFO and commercial executive, he was appointed Non-Executive Chairman in August 2023. He is part of the Finance and Risk Committee as well as REMCO at Digby Wells.
Frans-Baleni
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Msokoli Frans Baleni

Non-Executive Director
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Frans is the Non-Executive Director of Digby Wells Environmental. Frans has spent more than four decades in a variety of corporate functions that has prepared him for major roles in significant transformative events – most notably in South Africa, but also abroad. With vast experience as a member of various boards – including international organisations, Frans offers seasoned commercial, risk, governance and compliance industry insights from across the mining, development finance, education & training, and energy sectors.
Stuart Brown
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Stuart Brown

Non-Executive Director
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Stuart Brown is a seasoned industry Executive with over four decades of experience across the resources industry. Stuart has held various executive positions in renowned organizations, including Firestone Diamonds Plc and De Beers Group. With extensive Board-Level expertise in both CEO and CFO roles, and a track record of leading business transformation and developing lean, agile and high performing organisations, Stuart will significantly contribute to Digby Wells’ growth and future success.
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Richard McDonald

Chief Financial Officer
Richard McDonald
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Richard has completed his MBA through GIBS and is a registered Chartered Accountant with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. He has more than 15 years experience in various industries including commodity trading, mining, bulk materials handling, processing, power generation, fixed plant, agriculture, engineering and construction.
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Lucy Stevens

Executive Director
Lucy-Koeslag_MIN
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Lucy Stevens, Director of Digby Wells Environmental has BA and LLB degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from the Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa. Lucy is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and specialises in environmental law. She has ten years of experience in this field which includes undertaking environmental legal compliance audits, due diligences, legal reviews, overseeing environmental impact assessment studies and providing legal advice in both the mining and non-mining sectors throughout Africa.
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Graham Trusler

CEO (Founding Partner)
Graham-Trusler
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Graham Trusler is one of the founding partners of the company and is the CEO of Digby Wells Environmental. He holds a MSc (Engineering) and a BCom. Degree. He is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa. He is also registered as a Chartered Chemical Engineer with the Institution of Chemical Engineers, is a member of the Water Institute of South Africa and a lifetime member of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation. Graham has 30 years of experience within the mining industry in metallurgical production, research and environmental issues.

Management Team


 

Sarah Cooper
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Sarah Cooper

Group Sustainability Manager
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Sarah leads Digby Wells’ Sustainability Division and is Director of Digby Wells Jersey. She has 15 years experience in ESG and Sustainability. Sarah specialises in developing and implementing pragmatic ESG strategies that meet client’s current needs and future ambitions. Sarah is seconded to Barrick Gold as Group Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Manager, helping drive ESG strategy and disclosures. Prior to joining Digby Wells Sarah was Corporate reporting Manager for a leading ESG and Responsible Investment Public Relations and Communications agency. Sarah also spent time as ESG Analyst at CDC Group, the UK government’s Development Finance Institute, where she helped to develop the organisation’s ESG Toolkit for Fund Managers, and it's first Development Impact Report. Since July 2020 Sarah has served on the World Gold Council’s ESG taskforce, she is also on the International Mining and Metals Council’s Working groups for Responsible sourcing, and Human Rights.
Leon Ellis
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Leon Ellis

Divisional Manager: Closure and Rehabilitation Services
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Leon is the Mine Closure and Rehabilitation Divisional Manager at Digby Wells. Leon completed his BSc. (Hons) in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2009. He joined Digby Wells in January 2013. He has nine years’ experience in the environmental services sector with specialised focus on Environmental Liability Assessments, Mine Closure Plans, Performance Assessments and Risk Assessments, locally and internationally. He has also been involved in the undertaking of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental Management Programmes (EMPs). Leon also completed the Environmental Risk Assessment and Management course based on ISO 31000 at the Centre of Environmental Management (North West University) in 2016.
Lerato Ratsoenyane
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Lerato Ratsoenyane

Manager Stakeholder Engagement
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Lerato has 13 years’ experience; with 6 years of work experience in the Coal Mining Sector as a Social and Labour Plan Practitioner involved in the consultation, compilation and execution of the Social and Labour Plans, Mining Charter and Mining Qualification Authority Reporting and performing various tasks in terms of planning and developing Policies and Strategies within the Human Resources, Governance and Environmental Divisions. The remaining 7 years has been within the Environmental Consultancy sector; involved in the planning, development and implementation of public participation processes (PPP) as part of Environmental Authorisation processes in compliance with South African legislation and Stakeholder Engagement processes as part of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) projects in compliance with Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards international guidelines and country-specific legislation specifically for projects in Botswana and Liberia. Lerato is professionally affiliated with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) as a Committee Member for the emerging regions portfolio and Company Director and Member of IAP2 Southern Africa region.
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Samba Sangare

Country Manager: Mali
Samba Sangare
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With over 23 years of experience, Samba Sangare has worked in Mali for the Sadiola and Yatela Mines, Democratic Republic of Congo for the Kantaga Copper and Cobalt and Ashanti Goldfield Kilo SARL, as wells as in Guinee with the Société Anglo Gold Ashanti. Samba is the Country Manager for the Digby Wells Environmental Mali Office. He is an experienced Environmental Manager with strong leadership and stakeholder collaboration capabilities throughout the resources sector.
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Kirsten Strauss

Executive: HR & Organisational Effectiveness
Kirsten Strauss
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Kirsten joined Digby Wells in November 2011 as a HR specialist. She has over 20 years HR generalist experience. She has experience in organisational development, job profiling, performance management, remuneration and reward, organisation structuring and design, and recruitment. Kirsten is also involved in the International travel procedures and Health and Safety for the organisation.
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André van Coller

Country Manager - Jersey; Divisional Manager - Water Services
André van Coller
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André van Coller holds an MSc in Geohydrology from the Institute of Groundwater Studies, University of the Free State with specialisation in geochemistry. He has over 10 years’ experience in the mining and environmental industry working as a geologist, hydrogeologist and environmental geochemist. André has experience in the mining industry with water supply, dewatering, geochemistry, water and salt balance and EIA projects and played a role in both the project management, management of field programs, data processing and reporting. His current focus is on mine water management that includes surface water, groundwater and geochemistry assessments and management plans considering site wide impacts and mitigations. André is also the Divisional Manager for Water Services at Digby Wells and leads an international team of hydrologists, geohydrologists and geochemists. His international experience includes projects in USA, Canada, Peru, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, DRC, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho and South Africa.
Barbara Wessels
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Barbara Wessels

Executive: Technical Services
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Barbara Wessels completed her B. Sc. in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Johannesburg and has over 14 years’ experience. She is responsible for Group Technical Services which includes social and heritage, environmental management and compliance, GIS, ecology, air quality and noise, aquatic and wetland services, surface and groundwater as well as rehabilitation and closure. She has global experience in various environmental disciplines with a focus on integrated project management and compilation, review and auditing of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.
Mashudu Rafundisani
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Mashudu Rafundisani

Country Manager: South Africa
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Mashudu serves as the Country Manager for Digby Wells South Africa. He earned an Honours Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Venda (South Africa) and is recognized as a Water Resource Scientist by the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP). With over 12 years of experience in the Mining and Environmental sector, Mashudu has expertise in environmental assessments, specialized hydrological work, hydrological modeling, mine water management, water quality, water and salt balances, water conservation, demand and supply assessments, environmental/water resource audits, and EIA projects.His extensive project portfolio extends across diverse countries and regions, including South Africa, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, DRC, Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana, and other parts of Africa. Prior to his role at Digby Wells, Mashudu spent 2 years contributing to the City of Johannesburg's water and biodiversity unit, overseeing Catchment Management and Water Quality. As a director of Digby Wells South Africa, he actively contributes to the organization's business strategy, business development, and overall growth.
Peter Kimberg
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Peter Kimberg

Country Manager: United Kingdom
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Peter, boasting two decades of consulting expertise, specializes in aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. Holding a B.Sc. Honours Degree in Zoology from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), he further fortified his knowledge with a Certificate in Conservation Development from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute & George Mason University. This certification focused on implementing Biodiversity Action Plans for the Private Sector.Additionally, Peter possesses a Natural England (NE) Level 2 bat survey license. Currently serving as the Country Manager for Digby Wells’ United Kingdom (UK) office, he brings a wealth of experience to the table.Peter's skills extend to conducting aquatic ecosystem baseline and impact assessments for ESIA projects. His proficiency includes compiling integrated biodiversity reports and adhering to the IFC Performance Standards, particularly PS6. He has successfully crafted Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) and authored Critical Habitat and Ecosystem Goods and Services Reports.With a background in researching the impact of alien invasive species in aquatic ecosystems, Peter has also worked in the field of eDNA. His international footprint spans ecological assessments across diverse ecosystems in countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, DRC, CAR, Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mali, Guinea, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.
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Kgomotsego Motlopi

Country Manager: Botswana
Kgomotsego Motlopi
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Ms. Motlopi holds a BA, Environmental Science and Demography from the University of Botswana as well as a Masters in Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Agriculture from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. She is a certified Principal Environmental Assessment practitioner registered with Botswana Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association (BEAPA). Ms Motlopi is also an Internal Lead auditor; ISO 14001:2015.Her over 15 years work experience covers Environmental Impact Assessment for Infrastructure projects, extractive and petroleum industries as well as Strategic Environmental Assessments and construction monitoring. It includes work within the climate change adaptation sphere focused on Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments for livelihoods’, Capacity building, Stakeholder Engagement and Resource Mobilisation. Ms Motlopi brokers knowledge within and across these sectors to aid responsible investment and influence national and regional policy. She has represented Botswana at UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) as a party delegate focusing on the Gender Agenda and Climate Action. Ms Motlopi’s experience extends beyond the borders of Botswana as she has been part of both regional and international projects in Namibia, South Africa and Europe. Prior to her role at Digby Wells, Motlopi spent 10 years as a Researcher within the climate change division at BITRI. As a Country Manager at Digby Wells Botswana, she leads the country’s business strategy and business development ambitions.