Our Leadership ♦ Petra Diamonds

Board of Directors
Senior Management

Petra is headed by an effective Board, with the appropriate balance of skills, independence and knowledge of the Company to properly discharge its responsibilities and duties.

Jose Manuel Vargas, Presidente Director General De Aena

José Manuel Vargas

Non-Executive Chair

Committees: Investment (Chair)

Appointment date:January 2024 and, as Non-Executive Chair, November 2024

Skills & Experience:Skills & Experience: José Manuel has extensive executive and Board experience across a range of sectors. From 2020 until January 2024, he was CEO of MAXAM, one of the world’s largest explosives manufacturers. Before that José Manuel was previously the Chairman and CEO of Aena SME S.A., leading its restructuring, partial privatization and IPO in 2015. Prior to joining Aena, he held senior management positions at Vocento S.A., where he served as CFO until his promotion to CEO. Before his tenure in the communications sector, he was the CFO and General Secretary of JOTSA (part of the Philipp Holzmann Group). Mr. Vargas has also served on several other Boards of Directors, including Aena, Vocento, Diario ABC, Cadena COPE, Net TV, Diario El Correo and Wellbore Integrity Solutions LLC.

Qualifications:

Economics and Business Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid
Degree in Law, UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia)
Chartered Accountant

External Appointments:José Manuel is Chairman of MAXAM, serves on the Board of Directors of Fluidra S.A. and is a Managing Director of Rhone Capital

Shareholding:José Manuel is a significant shareholder in the Company, currently holding ca. 11.39% of the Company’s issued share capital.

Richard Duffy

Chief Executive Officer

Committees: Executive (Chair), SH&S and Investment

Appointment date:April 2019

Skills & Experience:In addition to his business, strategic and financial skills, Richard has extensive experience in open pit and underground mining. With more than three decades of global mining industry experience, initially with Anglo American and then AngloGold Ashanti, Richard’s career reflects a proven focus on safety, productivity and community relations, having led multiple large-scale mining operations across Africa. Richard was previously Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of AngloGold Ashanti and founded African Energy Management Platform, a developer of renewable and hybrid energy plants for mining and industrial clients across Africa.

Qualifications:

BCom, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
MBA, Henley Management College, United Kingdom

External Appointments:Richard is a director of the Natural Diamond Council.

Bernie Pryor

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Committees: Nomination (Chair), Remuneration (Chair), Audit & Risk, Investment and H&S

Appointment date:January 2019

Skills & Experience:With over 35 years’ experience in the mining industry, Bernie has an extensive and wide-ranging skill-set, including project acquisition, development and construction and M&A. As CEO for a number of mining companies, including Alufer Mining, MC Mining, African Minerals Limited and Q Resources plc, Bernie has developed and managed large-scale, operating mining assets. Earlier in his career, Bernie held senior positions within Anglo American and was Chief Operating Officer at Adastra Minerals Inc.

Qualifications:

Metallurgical Engineer, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, United Kingdom
Chartered Engineer, Institute of Mines and Metallurgy, United Kingdom

External Appointments:Bernie is the Managing Director of Karo Mining Holdings, which holds the concession for a platinum development in Zimbabwe.

Deborah Gudgeon

Independent Non-Executive Director

Committees: Audit & Risk (Chair), Investment, Nomination and Remuneration

Appointment date:July 2021

Skills & Experience:Deborah is a Chartered Accountant with more than three decades experience across corporate finance, restructuring and debt management, performance improvement and auditing. Deborah qualified as an ACA accountant at PWC (Coopers & Lybrand) and then spent eight years as Finance Executive with the Africa-focused miner, Lonrho plc. Since then, Deborah has held positions with Deloitte, BDO and Gazelle Corporate Finance. Deborah has extensive boardroom experience, having been appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at Acacia Mining, Highland Gold, EVRAZ and latterly Ithaca Energy and Serabi Gold.

Qualifications:

BSc in Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom
Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

External Appointments:Deborah is a Non-Executive Director (and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committees) of Ithaca Energy plc and Serabi Gold plc.

Lerato Molebatsi

Independent Non-Executive Director

Committees: SH&S (Chair), Audit & Risk, Investment, Nomination and Remuneration

Appointment date:April 2023

Skills & Experience:Lerato has extensive executive and non-executive experience across a range of sectors in South Africa, including on ESG, corporate social investments and black economic empowerment. From 2016 to 2019, Lerato was the CEO of General Electric South Africa, and prior to this appointment, was the Executive VP for Communications and Public Affairs at Lonmin plc. Other private sector positions Lerato has held include senior positions at Old Mutual and Sanlam. Lerato has extensive public sector expertise, having previously been appointed as a Special Adviser to South Africa’s Minister of Transport as well as Deputy Director-General (Corporate Services) at the Department of Labour.

Qualifications:

BA in Psychology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Senior Executive Leadership Programme for Africa, Harvard University, United States
Diploma in Senior Management Development, University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa
Diploma in Rural Development Programme, University of the Witwatersrand

External Appointments:Lerato is the lead independent Non-Executive Director of the South African Reserve Bank and is an independent Non-Executive Director of Spur Corporation, the JSE-listed restaurant franchiser, where she is also Chair of the Social, Ethics and Environmental Sustainability Committee. Lerato is also a member of the Remuneration Committee of South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority.

Several of Petra’s senior management sit on Exco, holding monthly meetings with the CEO and CFO to assist them in their duties and in dealing with the day to day activities of the Company’s business.

Thashmi Doorasamy

Group HR & Public Affairs Executive – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Thashmi joined Petra in February 2020 as HR and Public Affairs Executive after spending 18 years at the Massmart Group, a leading retailer in South Africa.

Skills & Experience:Her pivotal role was HR Director for Massbuild from 2003 to 2013. During this time, Thashmi and her team oversaw the integration of the newly purchased building supply company Builders Warehouse, into the Massmart group. The merger expanded successfully into the wider South African and African market leading to Thashmi’s promotion in 2013, to Group Compliance Officer for Massmart. Later that year Massmart was purchased by the Walmart group. Thashmi led the integration of Massmart’s South African businesses, into the Walmart Group with a focus on compliance. In 2015 she joined the Taste Group, overseeing the People Roll-Out plan for Starbucks, following the recently purchased Starbucks licence in South Africa.

Qualifications:

B. Admin (HONS) in Public Finance, University of Durban Westville, South Africa

Vivek Gadodia

Planning and Corporate Development Executive – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Vivek joined Petra Diamonds in August 2021. He heads up the Planning and Corporate Development function, which includes corporate strategy formulation, business development, business planning & corporate finance.

Skills & Experience:Vivek has over 18 years of experience in the extractives industry. Prior to joining Petra, Vivek spent nearly 15 years with Sasol, a leading energy, and chemicals company, where he filled a number of engineering, project management & corporate positions. For nearly 6 years, he worked at Sasol’s flagship Secunda facility in South Africa in a range of technical/engineering roles, before being seconded to Houston, Rome, and Seoul on various projects. On his return to South Africa in 2016, Vivek pivoted to the Corporate Strategy function and was appointed as Sasol’s Head of Strategy for Sustainability, responsible for the formulation of the Sasol 2.0 framework. His last role before leaving Sasol was that of Head of Stakeholder Relations: ESG & Sustainability, in order to progress Sasol’s Sustainability strategy in conjunction with its various external stakeholders.

Qualifications:

BSc Eng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Juan Kemp

Operations Executive Cullinan Mine – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Juan joined Petra after the purchase of the Cullinan Mine and became the Surface Manager and Group Metallurgical Manager for all seven of Petra’s treatment plants. He was subsequently promoted to General Manager in 2011 and in July 2019 was appointed as Project Executive. Later that year, he became Petra’s Chief Technical Officer, and was appointed Operations Executive for the Cullinan Mine in 2024.

Skills & Experience:Juan has nearly 30 years’ experience, with a depth of knowledge of both the Koffiefontein Mine (having worked in a broad spectrum of operational roles before becoming Plant Manager under De Beers’ tenure), as well as the Cullinan Mine (where he acted as Metallurgical Manager for several years) and was an integral member of the team that re-engineered the De Beers South Africa business model. Before being promoted into the De Beers diamond mines, Juan worked at the East Rand Gold and Uranium Division of Anglo American in Johannesburg, where he worked as a Mineral Processing Engineer.

Qualifications:

BSc in Metallurgical Engineering, Potchefstroom University, South Africa
MA in Business Administration, North West University Business School, South Africa

Ayoub Mwenda

Country and Mine Manager: Tanzania

Member of Exco

Role:Ayoub has worked at Williamson Diamond Mine for 27 years in a number of technical and managerial operating roles.

Skills & Experience:Before joining Williamson, Ayoub worked as a Mining Engineer at Chingola and Mufulira Copper Mines in Zambia, before moving to Tanzania as a Mining Engineer at Buckreef Gold Mine. After joined Williamson in 1994 (as a Mining Manager), he was promoted to Production Manager at Williamson, where he supervised both the mining and processing plant. After assuming the role of Assistant General Manager, Ayoub became General Manager in November 2019. Ayoub has overseen the restart of operations at Williamson, following its period of care and maintenance.

Qualifications:

BSc in Mining Engineering, University of Zambia, Zambia
Registered Professional Engineer, Tanzania

Patrick Pittaway

Head of Investor Relations

Role:Patrick was appointed as Head of Investor Relations at Petra in May 2022, and is responsible for for engaging with Petra’s shareholders and bondholders to ensure the market has knowledge and understanding of the Company’s strategy, operations, and financial performance.

Skills & Experience:Patrick has more than two decades of capital markets experience related to the mining sector. Prior to joining Petra, Patrick worked at Petropavlosk PLC, a London-listed gold producer, for 3 years as Head of Investor Relations. His experience spans both the buy-side as a natural resources portfolio manager, a position he held for around 9 years, and various sell-side roles including research and corporate finance. As a qualified geologist, his first role was working as an exploration geologist working for Billiton (now BHP Billiton) in West Africa.

Qualifications:

Executive MBA from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom
MSc in Mineral Project Appraisal from the Royal School of Mines, London, United Kingdom
BSc (HONS) in Geology from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Jaison Rajan

Operations Executive Finsch Diamond Mine – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Jaison has over 20 years of industry experience in various mineral commodities including heavy minerals, diamonds, manganese and coal. Jaison was appointed Chief Operating Officer at Petra Diamonds in 2022, having been General Manager of Cullinan Diamond Mine for the previous three years. Jaison was appointed as Operations Executive for the Finsch Mine in 2024.

Skills & Experience:Prior to joining Petra he worked as General Manager at Khutala Colliery having worked for 8 years in a variety of managerial roles at BHP Billiton (South32) at the Wessels Manganese mine and Hotazel Manganese mines before this. Jaison also has an in depth understanding of Finsch Mine, having started his career there when it was owned by De Beers. During this time he acted a section leader, ensuring safe control, management, direction of underground excavations and infrastructure within the Ore Extraction Production area.

Qualifications:

Accredited Professional Engineer with a Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency, South Africa
BSc in Mining Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
MBA in Mineral Economics and Business Administration, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Rupert Rowland-Clark

Group General Counsel & Company Secretary – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Rupert assumed the role of General Counsel & Company Secretary at Petra in June 2021. He leads Petra’s Legal, Company Secretary, Risk, Assurance & Compliance functions and reports into the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman.

Skills & Experience:He has over twenty years’ legal and executive experience, most recently at Tullow Oil plc, an African-focused FTSE 250 oil and gas company, where he was General Counsel from 2015 to 2020. Prior to Tullow, Rupert was a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at global law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, where he worked on a broad range of significant transactions across multiple sectors and jurisdictions.

Qualifications:

BSc in Economics and Politics, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Solicitor (England and Wales)

Johan Snyman

Chief Financial Officer – Member of EXCO

Member of Exco

Role:Johan joined Petra in January 2024 as Group Financial Controller and was appointed to the role of Chief Financial Officer from the 1st October 2024.

Skills & Experience:Johan brings a wealth of expertise and leadership to his role, underscored by a distinguished tenure at AngloGold Ashanti Limited. In his most recent capacity as Vice President: Group Financial Reporting, Johan helmed pivotal finance-related divisions, including group financial reporting, finance systems, and shared services. Johan played an instrumental role in the strategic redomiciliation of the AngloGold Ashanti group to the United Kingdom, a complex manoeuvre that he executed with success. Johan’s strategic foresight, combined with his comprehensive experience, positions him as a key asset to our team, bringing a depth of knowledge and a proven track record of success in finance and corporate management.

Qualifications:

Chartered Accountant (SA); Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
B.Com (Hons), University of Pretoria
Executive Masters in Business Administration, University of Cape Town

Gregory Stephenson

Sales & Marketing Executive – Member of Exco

Member of Exco

Role:Gregory has 35 years of experience in the buying and selling of diamonds. He has led the Sales team at Petra Diamonds since 2008. where he oversees the preparation, valuation and marketing of Petra’s rough diamonds as well as managing the full sales process of the South African and Tanzanian production.

Skills & Experience:Prior to joining Petra, Gregory spent ten years managing his own company, GDR Diamonds, Johannesburg, purchasing rough diamonds throughout southern Africa and providing independent valuations in Angola. Gregory’s broad knowledge of the diamond industry stemmed from his global experience at De Beers, London, where he started his career as a trainee diamond buyer in 1988. This included two years of intensive training in all facets and sizes of rough diamonds, the Overseas Purchasing Division where, over the span of 8 years, he went on multiple tours and secondments, which included Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Mbuji-Mayi, Kahemba, Luanda, Johannesburg and Antwerp.