Uranium and gold development company Neo Energy Metals has appointed World Gold Council chairperson and former Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman as independent nonexecutive chairperson, with effect from April 24.

His appointment, along with that of new independent nonexecutive directors Sajjad Sabur, John Wallington and Johan Reeder, come as the company moves into the next phase of its strategy to become a leading African uranium producer with significant gold credits.

The board appointments also follow the recruitment of South African mining industry veterans Theo Botoulas and De Wet Schutte who joined Neo Energy as CEO and CFO, respectively, in 2025.

“We are pleased to announce these high-profile additions to the Neo Energy board. We feel very fortunate to have been able to attract board members of such high pedigree, experience and knowledge of South Africa.

“I believe this not only speaks to the exciting potential we seen in the New Beisa and Henkries assets in the Free State, but also for what Neo Energy can become by combining the new management and board together under one roof,” Botoulas comments.

He adds that the company has two of the “most exciting” uranium assets in the sector.

“[The projects] are heading into a key stage of their development as we look to complete the New Beisa transaction with Sibanye-Stillwater and obtain the mining right for Henkries before heading into financing and construction phases,” Botoulas says.

Meanwhile, Jason Brewer, Sean Heathcote, Bongani Raziya, Jackline Muchai, James Longley and Charles Tatnall have stepped down from the Neo Energy board, with effect from April 22.

EXPERIENCE

Froneman and Wallington each have more than 40 years’ experience in the mining sector.

Froneman has held various operational, executive and board leadership roles at various mining and minerals companies, including Gold Fields, Harmony Gold Mining Company and Aflease Gold. In his time at Aflease, he was instrumental in establishing Uranium One from the company’s uranium assets.

Further, he served as CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater from its formation in January 2013 until his retirement in September 2025. In that time, he led the company’s transformation from a South Africa-focused gold producer into a globally diversified metals company.

He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Wits Foundation, is nonexecutive chairperson of Business Against Crime South Africa, nonexecutive chairperson of ASX-listed Podium Minerals and PGM Processing and a director of DRA Global.

Wallington, meanwhile, has held operational leadership roles across South Africa, Australia, Colombia and Canada. He spent 27 years at Anglo American, culminating as CEO of Anglo Coal, and has subsequently served as CEO of Coal of Africa, head of energy at Sibanye-Stillwater and CEO of Riverdale Resources in Canada.

He currently serves as a nonexecutive director of Glencore.

Sabur is chief investment officer at Gilini Group, where he oversees investment strategy, governance and is responsible for portfolio companies. He was previously MD and head of direct investments at HSBC Private Equity, where he served on the global investment committee with deep investment experience across geographies and sectors including natural resources.

Reeder is a chartered accountant with 35 years of international experience across the mining, manufacturing and utilities sectors in Africa, Australia and the Middle East.

He has held senior executive roles in listed and unlisted entities, leading complex restructurings and aligning operational performance with long-term shareholder value. His expertise includes governance, risk management, financial oversight and regulatory compliance across diverse international jurisdictions.