- Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa
28 – 29 October 2026 | Maslow Hotel, Sandton
NOA
Head of Trading & Co-Founder
Andrew Taylor is Head of Trading and Co-Founder of NOA. He has more than 15 years of experience spanning energy law, project finance, renewable energy development and business development, with transactions across Southern Africa and Europe. At NOA, he leads the company’s energy-trading strategy and has helped shape models designed to make renewable electricity procurement more accessible to commercial and industrial customers. His work combines regulatory and contractual expertise with the practical development of aggregation and trading approaches for South Africa’s liberalising electricity market.
Air Products South Africa
Managing Director
Charles Dos Santos is Managing Director of Air Products South Africa. He joined the company in 1994 and has held a range of senior management positions, including responsibility for on-site operations covering air separation units, hydrogen and carbon dioxide production. Earlier roles included sales leadership supporting growth in sectors such as platinum group metals and petrochemicals. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and a BCom from UNISA, combining a technical engineering background with extensive commercial and operational leadership experience.
MATTLA Engineering
Technical Director & Partner
David Mvura is Technical Director and Partner at MATTLA Engineering, with more than 22 years of experience in the power sector, including 16 years at Eskom. He specialises in renewable energy integration, grid-code compliance and power-system testing. David contributed to the development of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Grid Code and battery energy storage standards and leads BESS projects and advisory work across sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MSc in Engineering Management and is a registered Professional Engineer with ECSA.
Lyra Energy
Head
Eben de Vos leads Lyra Energy, a South African clean-energy platform backed by Scatec, Standard Bank and STANLIB. Under his leadership, Lyra secured an electricity trading licence from NERSA and progressed pooled commercial and industrial offtake arrangements linked to large-scale renewable generation. His work centres on unlocking private, wheeled renewable power for commercial and industrial users through pooled, diversified and risk-managed contracting structures. He brings a practitioner’s perspective on South Africa’s evolving wheeling framework, electricity trading and the transition towards a more competitive wholesale energy market.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Director of Council
Ernst Muller is a regulatory and environmental lawyer with more than a decade of experience advising companies, governments and international institutions on natural resources, energy, environmental and sustainability regulation across Africa and the wider EMEA region. A certified Environmental Management Inspector and qualified Environmental Assessment Practitioner, he advises on environmental authorisations, regulatory compliance, project development, renewable energy and ESG risk. His work has also included legal counsel on mineral-law reform and contributions to standards and position papers for international organisations and standard-setting bodies.
Valterra Platinum
Head: SA Solutions
Dr George Maluleke is Head: SA Solutions at Valterra Platinum and a senior mining leader with more than two decades of experience spanning diamonds, manganese, iron ore and platinum. His background covers engineering, operations, project management and executive leadership. His current work focuses on strategic initiatives around sustainability, PGM beneficiation, decarbonisation and long-term value creation within the mining sector.
Meridian Economics
Managing Director
Dr Grove Steyn is Managing Director of Meridian Economics, an energy and infrastructure economics advisory firm. He is an infrastructure and regulatory economist with more than 30 years of experience across the electricity, gas and liquid-fuels sectors. In 2018 he was appointed to the Eskom Sustainability Task Team, and in 2019 to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. His current work focuses on South Africa’s energy transition, including electricity-sector reform, renewable-energy expansion and the economic and institutional changes required to support a more secure and lower-carbon energy system.
Africa International Advisors
Insights & Integrated Energy Leader
Henry Gilfillan leads insights and integrated energy work at Africa International Advisors. He has more than 20 years of experience across finance, strategy, business development and regulatory engagement in the energy and chemicals sectors. His work has included energy transition strategy, gas supply and infrastructure, regional energy integration, market analysis and the development of strategic energy options for Southern Africa. He holds an Honours degree in Accounting Science from the University of South Africa.
TOMA-Now
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dr Jaisheila Rajput is the Founder and CEO of TOMA-Now, where she focuses on developing practical business models and solutions for sustainability. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town and has experience across technical, strategy, management systems and sustainability roles. Her career includes work in the automotive, chemicals and construction industries across South Africa, Germany and Hong Kong.
Energy Council of South Africa
Chief Technology Officer
James Mackay is a senior executive at the Energy Council of South Africa with more than 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors. Qualified in engineering and finance, he previously led Energy Strategy at PwC and has worked on major investment and transformation programmes in the energy sector. His work focuses on South Africa’s energy transition and the development of a secure, affordable and increasingly decarbonised energy system, with particular attention to the policy, investment and market changes needed to support implementation at scale.
Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa
President
James Tang is President of Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa and has more than 20 years of experience with Huawei across ICT and digital-power businesses. His areas of expertise include smart photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, electric-vehicle charging and data-centre infrastructure. He has worked across different international markets, including Europe, and brings a combination of technology, commercial and customer-focused experience to the deployment of integrated digital-power solutions. His current regional focus is on technologies that support energy transition, infrastructure modernisation and sustainable growth across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Lyra Energy
Senior Business Development Manager
Liesel Kassier is Senior Business Development Manager at Lyra Energy, working with mining, manufacturing and export-exposed industrial businesses on changing electricity-market and decarbonisation requirements. An economist by background, she focuses on the intersection of energy strategy, carbon exposure and trade competitiveness. Her work includes helping energy users understand renewable electricity contracting, wheeling, the developing South African Wholesale Electricity Market and mechanisms such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. She brings a commercial perspective on how industrial users can structure credible, bankable and auditable energy and decarbonisation strategies.
World Bank
Senior Water Specialist
Lubabalo Luyaba is a professional civil engineer specialising in water and sanitation. He has public- and private-sector experience across infrastructure planning, design, construction, operations, institutional arrangements, grant management, finance and policy. He serves as a Senior Water Specialist with the 2030 Water Resources Group at the World Bank Group and coordinates the South Africa 2030 WRG programme. His work focuses on improving water security through collaboration between the public sector, private sector and civil society, including approaches that can catalyse financing, innovation and stronger water-resource management.
Department of Electricity and Energy
Masopha Moshoeshoe advises South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy on green hydrogen and has played a central role in advancing the country’s green hydrogen agenda. His work has included investment promotion, project development and coordination around strategic green hydrogen infrastructure, as well as international collaboration through initiatives such as the South African–German Hydrogen Task Force. He previously worked within Infrastructure South Africa in The Presidency and has experience across infrastructure, renewable energy, waste management and investment development.
NOA
Commercial Sales Lead
Matthew Fannin is Commercial Sales Lead at NOA and a registered professional engineer focused on originating and developing energy projects. His experience spans downstream oil and gas, petrochemicals, major infrastructure delivery and management consulting. He has a particular interest in unlocking investment in energy and infrastructure across Africa and works with commercial and industrial customers on the development of renewable energy solutions.
Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS)
Senior Economist: Sustainable Development
Muhammed Patel is a Senior Economist specialising in Sustainable Development at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies. His work covers industrial development, decarbonisation, the just transition and emerging sustainable industries, including green hydrogen. He joined TIPS in 2017 after working in competition and regulatory economics at Genesis Analytics. Muhammed holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Ferro Alloy Producers Association (FAPA)
Chairperson
Nellis Bester is Chairperson of the Ferro Alloy Producers Association and a senior ferroalloys industry executive. A qualified metallurgical engineer, he has more than 30 years of industrial experience spanning steel, ferroalloys, mining and renewable-energy-related activities. His career has included work in South Africa and Europe across silicon metal, ferrosilicon, foundry products and manganese alloys, as well as product-management responsibilities. He is also associated with Ferroglobe PLC and has been a prominent industry voice on the competitiveness, energy requirements and future of South Africa’s ferroalloy and beneficiation sectors.
WEG
Solar and Storage Manager
Oscar Harbs works in WEG Africa’s solar and energy-storage business, supporting commercial and industrial customers with renewable-generation and battery-storage solutions. His technical background includes control and automation engineering, and his market experience covers solar PV, hybrid power systems and energy storage. Through his work at WEG, he supports the application of integrated electrical and renewable-energy technologies for African energy users, with a focus on improving reliability, efficiency and the practical deployment of cleaner power solutions in industrial and commercial settings.
The Manufacturing Circle
Executive Director
Philippa Rodseth is Executive Director of the Manufacturing Circle, where she represents the interests of South African manufacturers in policy and industry engagement. An architect by profession and banker by training, she began her career in commercial architecture in South Africa and Hong Kong before completing an MBA at Wits Business School. She later worked in private equity and leveraged finance at First National Bank and founded Spoke Consulting. She joined the Manufacturing Circle in 2015 and works across issues affecting the competitiveness, investment environment and long-term development of South Africa’s manufacturing sector.
Industrial Development Corporation
Programme Director: Green Hydrogen JET IP PMO
Dr Rebecca Masemurule is Programme Director: Green Hydrogen in the Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan PMO hosted by the Industrial Development Corporation. She previously served as Chief Director: Hydrogen and Energy at South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, where her work included implementation of the Hydrogen Society Roadmap and the Hydrogen South Africa programme. She has close to two decades of experience in sustainability, clean energy and technology development, and has worked on international cooperation, climate-finance initiatives and technology roadmaps. She holds a PhD in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the United States.
South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA)
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Rethabile Melamu is Chief Executive Officer of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association. A chemical and environmental engineer by training, she has extensive experience in clean energy, the green economy, environmental sustainability, technology commercialisation and public-sector strategy. Before joining SAPVIA, she held senior roles at The Innovation Hub and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development, where she worked on green-economy programmes, innovation and sector-development strategies. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and has served on a number of boards and advisory structures across the sustainability and energy sectors.
Sibanye-Stillwater
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Richard Stewart is Chief Executive Officer of Sibanye-Stillwater and has more than 25 years of experience in South Africa’s geological and mining industries. Since joining the Group in 2014, he has held senior positions including Executive Vice President: Business Development, Group Chief Operating Officer and Chief Regional Officer: Southern Africa. He holds a PhD in Geology from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MBA from Warwick Business School and is a registered Natural Scientist.
Eskom Green
Group Executive
Rivoningo Mnisi is Group Executive at Eskom Green and has more than two decades of experience spanning mining, energy, strategy, digitalisation, innovation, operations and sustainability. His current work focuses on developing Eskom’s renewable-energy business and advancing a substantial pipeline of renewable projects as part of the utility’s energy-mix diversification and emissions-reduction strategy. Before joining Eskom in this role, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at Exxaro. He brings experience in strategic execution, operational excellence and the development of large-scale energy-transition initiatives.
Promethium Carbon
Director
Robbie Louw is the founder and a Director of Promethium Carbon. A chemical engineer with postgraduate training in environmental economics, he has extensive experience across the chemical, mining, industrial and energy sectors. Since the early 2000s, his work has focused on clean energy, climate change and greenhouse-gas mitigation. This has included climate-risk assessment, mitigation and adaptation strategies, carbon markets, and the development of energy and emissions-reduction projects. His work connects carbon and climate policy with practical business responses to energy use, emissions management and decarbonisation.
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
Head of Energy and Environment
Rosalind Dos Santos is Head of Energy and Environmental Policy at Business Unity South Africa, where she leads policy engagement on energy and environmental issues affecting business. Her career has focused on sustainability, energy, carbon and climate change, with experience in industrial energy management, energy-efficiency programmes, infrastructure consulting, carbon markets and project development. Before joining BUSA, she served as Group Energy Manager at Mpact. She holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as an MBA from the University of Cape Town, and is a Certified Energy Manager.
Minerals Council South Africa
Shalendra Subramoney is a climate and sustainability specialist with more than 15 years of experience across engineering, technology, research and development, strategy, business development, policy and advocacy. His work has covered areas including greenhouse gas management, carbon markets, carbon offsets, carbon border measures, sustainability certification and industrial decarbonisation. He holds undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and has contributed to a range of industry climate and sustainability initiatives.
NOA
Customer Development Lead
Sibusiso Xaba is Customer Development Lead at NOA, where he works with commercial and industrial customers seeking cleaner, more competitive and reliable electricity solutions. His work includes the development of renewable energy supply arrangements for energy-intensive businesses, including mining and industrial customers. He brings experience spanning investment, capital and entrepreneurial ventures and is a CFA charterholder.
Fetakgomo Tubatse Special Economic Zone (FTSEZ)
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Solly Kgopong is Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zone. His career includes economic development, investment promotion, strategic planning and banking, including previous experience as a General Manager at Absa and roles in economic and strategic planning in Limpopo. He has also lectured part-time at the University of Limpopo. A USA-Mandela Scholar alumnus, he holds an MSc in Economics from The Ohio State University and has been closely involved in developing the investment proposition and economic-development agenda of the Fetakgomo-Tubatse SEZ.
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC)
Acting Deputy Director General
Dr Tebogo Makube is Acting Deputy Director-General in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. His career spans industrial policy, fiscal policy, infrastructure planning, energy economics and public-sector governance. Before joining the DTIC, he worked at the Financial and Fiscal Commission and National Treasury, and has also held research and management roles at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa and Nokusa Consulting. He holds a PhD in Energy Studies as well as postgraduate qualifications in law, economic policy and energy economics, and has served on several public and industry boards.
WEG
Copperbelt and Central Africa Regional Manager
Thierry Kakese is WEG’s Copperbelt and Central Africa Regional Manager. He works with EPCM companies, project houses, end users and local partners to support industrial and mining customers with electrical and energy solutions across Central Africa and the Copperbelt. His background is in electrical engineering, and he holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from the Vaal University of Technology. His experience includes supporting WEG’s long-standing presence in mining markets such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries, with a focus on practical technology and project requirements for energy-intensive operations.
Air Liquide
Energy Manager
Tiyani Chauke is an Energy Manager at Air Liquide in South Africa. His role sits within the management and optimisation of energy used across industrial operations, an increasingly important area as energy-intensive industries work to improve efficiency, manage energy costs and reduce emissions. Air Liquide’s South African operations are undergoing a significant decarbonisation programme incorporating operational efficiency improvements and increasing renewable electricity supply.
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
Acting Head: Industry Planning Unit
Dr Umeesha Naidoo works across industry planning and development in South Africa’s mining, metals and related sectors. Her experience spans industrial policy, minerals beneficiation, mining and metallurgy technology development, and the transition towards lower-carbon industry. Before joining the IDC, she held roles at the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Science and Technology and within South Africa’s platinum mining industry. She is also involved in initiatives supporting steel decarbonisation, critical minerals development and South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.
NTT DATA
Director: Smart Manufacturing & Industry, Middle East and Africa
Vinesh Maharaj is a professionally registered engineer with approximately 30 years of experience across industrial automation, IT/OT integration, Manufacturing Execution Systems, Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and predictive AI. His career spans the energy, automotive, consumer goods and industrial manufacturing sectors. He is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa and is a Certified Director with the Institute of Directors in South Africa.
National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)
Regulator Member
Willy Majola is a full-time Regulator Member at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa. A registered professional engineer, he has close to four decades of experience across mining, electricity generation, electricity transmission and energy regulation. His career combines technical engineering expertise with senior experience in the institutions and infrastructure that shape South Africa’s electricity sector. He holds a BSc in Engineering as well as an MBA, and brings a regulatory perspective informed by extensive operational and sector experience.