Former General Manager of Zincor refinery in South Africa (responsible for operation, marketing, procurement, financials, human resources etc) during the 1990s, Des was a productivity champion and Zincor’s return on net assets improved during his tenure from 18 % to 52% under the auspices of Project Vulindlela (Zulu for “open the way”). He was also leader of an MBO-based team focused on buy-out of Zincor, Black Mountain and Gamsberg in South Africa in late 1990s. In addition to obtaining a solid grounding in the mining business as a shift boss on several gold mines, Des also has extensive experience in Southern Africa with regard to , inter alia, Northam Platinum, property development for the Gold Fields Group, mine-planning and project/engineering management.