Zimbabwean born Ben Magara and Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan will join the board of global engineering group Weir as non-executive directors from January 19, 2021.
Both Venkatakrishnan, who is popularly known as Venkat, and 2019’s most influential individual in Zimbabwe mining, Ben Magara have extensive experience leading global mining businesses, Weir said in a statement on November 2.
Venkat previously served as CEO of both Vedanta Resources and AngloGold Ashanti, while Magara had been CEO of platinum producer Lonmin, after having previously held a number of senior roles at Anglo American.
Appointed Lonmin boss in July 2013 at the world’s third-largest platinum mining company, Magara was tasked with improving industrial relations and guiding the platinum miner’s turnaround strategy after strikes the prior year triggered violence which killed 46 people including 34 strikers shot dead by police in a single day at its Marikana mine. After a four-year turnaround strategy, Lonmin under Magara made a profit of R1,4billion. Lonmin was later in 2019 sold for US$400million.
Magara has a degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe.
