Meet our Management

A wealth of leading industry knowledge & experience

OUR CHAIRMAN

Nigel Townshend

UMS Group: Chairman

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  • 40 years in the Mining, Minerals, Project Management and Consulting industry.
  • Founder of one of Africa’s largest EPCM contractors.
  • Successfully delivered many of the industry’s largest and most prestigious projects.
  • Appointed as UMS chairman in 2023.

    The UMS EXECUTIVE TEAM – Group Operations

    Digby Glover

    Chief Executive Officer

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    • BSc Mechanical Engineering.
    • MBA (cum laude).
    • Government Certificate of Competency (GCC).
    • Respected industry specialist with 26 years Mining, Minerals, Project Management and Consulting experience.
    • Has 17 years of executive leadership experience within the industry and has been instrumental in guiding a multi-national mining and mineral consulting company through a major growth and expansion phase. Appointed as CEO of UMS Group in November 2018.

    Robert Hull

    Group Chief Operating Officer

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    • BSC Mining Engineering.
    • GDE Mineral Economics.
    • ECSA Pr.Eng.
    • PMP.
    • 22 years mining experience.

    Murray Macnab

    Group Technical Director

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    • NHD  Mechanical Engineering.
    • GCC (Mechanical Engineer – Mines)
    • Dip Project Management.
    • 40 years’ experience in the mining and minerals processing industry and is internationally respected for his shaft sinking knowledge.
    • Is an expert on shaft sinking capital projects and is a frequent speaker at global mining conferences.

    Takalani Randima

    Managing Director: UMS-SHAFT SINKERS

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    • Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering).
    • Master of Engineering in Project Management.
    • Mine Overseer Certificate of Competency, Mine Manager Certificate of Competency, Onsetter Certificate & Blasting Certificate.
    • Member of Southern African Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (SAIMM).
    • Extensive experience in mining construction, contract mining and project management across various commodities.

    Gregory Brook

    Managing Director: UMS – Projects

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    • BSc Eng (Civil & Structural)
    • Cert in Business Project Management
    • Executive MBA
    • Eng (ECSA)
    • 30 years international multi-disciplinary project experience in mining and minerals processing.

    The UMS EXECUTIVE TEAM – Group Support Services

    Dr Pieter Louw

    Group Executive: Project Services

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    • MSc (Engineering).
    • PhD.
    • Government Certificate of Competency (Electrical & Mechanical).
    • Project Management Professional (PMP).
    • 39 years broad international experience in executive, operations, engineering and project management roles in the hydrocarbons, mining infrastructure, mining and metals sectors.

    Karl Wiehl

    Group Executive: Engineering Technical Services

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    • BSc (Eng)(Mech); MSc (Eng)(Mech).
    • PrEng.
    • Project Management Professional.
    • 28 years international mining industry experience from concept studies, engineering design and fabrication of all surface and underground infrastructure, to project execution.
    • Experience in managing multi-discipline engineering projects.
    • Key strengths lie in engineering innovation and practical problem solving.

    Chris du Toit

    Group Executive: Risk Management

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    • NDipl in Safety and Management (NADSAM).
    • Mine Overseers Certificate of Competency.
    • Dipl Enterprise Risk Management.
    • Registered Pr. CHSA.
    • 32 years risk management experience including enterprise risk management and risk driven integrated safety, health, environment and quality management systems. Extensive experience in the mining, mineral processing and construction sectors.

    Pieter de Frey

    Chief Financial Officer

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    • CA (SA).
    • Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants SA.
    • 27 years financial experience.

    Esbé Miller

    Group Executive: Human Resources

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    • BCom Hons Industrial Psychology.
    • BCom Hons Business Management.
    • Chartered Reward Specialist.
    • Certified HR Professional.
    • Certified practitioner: Prosci Change Management; NeuroLife & Transformation Coaching; mBit Coach.

    Cherine Hoffman

    Group Executive: Legal 

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    • LLB (Cum Laude).
    • LLM (Tax).
    • Post graduate certificate in Mining Law.
    • Admitted Attorney in the High Court of South Africa (2008).
    • 16 years post admittance experience in Corporate Law, Commercial Law, Mining Law, Construction Law, and Logistics.
    • Trained at top law firms and worked at listed companies.
    • National and international experience in all types of projects.