Experience

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  Basil Read Mining / Blasting & Excavating (Pty) Ltd.

  • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

  • CEO & MD Mining & Quarrying

    • May 2018 - Present
    • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

    Under Nathan’s leadership and on the back of 2018 losses, in 2019, BRM exceeded its EBIT outlook on only 80% of its revenue target. In 2020, BRM remained profitable and paid off all of its major equipment debt despite Covid-19 impacts, and in 2021, BRM won 2 new long term contracts in SADC and achieved record profitability, record returns and in 2022 achieved BEE Level 1 status for the first time ever!

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  Williams Corporation International

  • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

  • Executive Director & Owner

    • Feb 2016 - Present
    • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

    Williams Corporation International (WCI) is a strategic business services consultancy, which has joined forces with a range of local (South Africa), regional (Sub-Saharan Africa) and global (Australia, UK, USA, Canada) professional strategic partners to effectively tackle any behavioural problems facing your organisation and impacting on your business.

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  Minova

  • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

  • Executive Director & VP Africa

    • Nov 2016 - Apr 2018
    • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

    In just 10 months, as OHSA 16.1 appointee, Nathan's drive and focus with the team improved safety, trebled productivity, increased profitability, reduced inventory by $1m and took the business from negative $2m to positive $6m cash flow by improving debtors compliance and pushing back creditors; Nathan raised BEE status from Level 8 to Level 4, and introduced new product branding and improved organisational culture. With sharper operational efficiencies (OEE from 30 to 60% and waste reduced from 12% to 6%), within just 18 months, the Africa business was set to become the lowest cost producer in the Minova Global group.

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  AVENG Manufacturing

  • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

  • MD Duraset

    • Jan 2015 - Oct 2016
    • Johannesburg Area, South Africa

    Within the first 6 months of Nathan's tenure, as OHSA 16.2 appointee, profitability was doubled and cash to the business was increased by 50%. Two factories were merged within 80% of budgeted capex, service delivery compliance surpassed targets and 5 awards were given to Duraset for being the most transformed business in the manufacturing division of Aveng Group.Aveng Duraset is a well-diversified supplier of engineered infrastructure support solutions to the mining and geotechnical, civil & other industries. With very well established research and development facilities, manufacturing plants and commercial services for each of our market focused divisions; Aveng Duraset has positioned itself over time as a well branded and leading supplier of safety critical products.A comprehensive range of steel rock reinforcement tendons (roofbolts), cable anchors and stand-up support products are produced by Aveng Duraset’s ISO 9001:2000, Nosa 5 Star factories. Strata control products are supplied to the gold, platinum, coal and copper industries, including export to 22 countries in Africa, Europe, Russia, Chile and Canada, among others.

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  Vedanta Resources Plc

  • United Kingdom
  • Manufacturing
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Associate VP - Marketing & Commercial

    • Oct 2013 - Dec 2014

    In his marketing role, Nathan was able to challenge the status quo and strengthen relationships between the marketing team and the technical manufacturing teams, which led to the conclusion of improvement projects and enabled better premiums to be commanded from customers by the sales team. Hindustan Zinc Ltd, Mumbai became first time market makers in India! After a 3 month stint at Sterlite Copper, Tuticorin with responsibility for commercial and byproducts marketing, Nathan returned to Aggeneys, SA to head commercial and marketing affairs for Vedanta Zinc International: Africa & Ireland, where he secured below benchmark deals for metals & concentrates sales.

  • GM & MD of Black Mountain Mining (Pty) Ltd

    • Feb 2011 - Sep 2013

    As MHSA 2A-1 appointee, Nathan carried full accountability for the $230m business, leadership of executive team, ensured growth of business (extension of mine life), reduced unit cost of production by 40 % and increased profit margins by 25%, whilst stabilizing union and external stakeholder relations. Moved cash position of the business from red $20m to black $90m, after repaying shareholders' loan of $130m within first 16 months.Nathan initiated his tenure at BMM as manager of metallurgical plant operations, then steadily branched out of metallurgy into other roles for broader development towards GM/MD. Thus he took on a technical services role so he could expand his technical knowledge beyond metallurgy, and was able to bring proven project management skills to bear in handling multiple projects as asset optimisation head, releasing tremendous value. He then moved into a sustainability role to engage with stakeholders outside the business and directed the mine closure plan and its socio-economic impact. At the same time he was completing his Executive MBA and took up his dissertation project on same topic. Also, at the time he was leading the company divestment to Vedanta group from Anglo American. As a result he was able to bring new insights and approaches to external stakeholder engagement, which led to his appointment as GM and a directorship post the integration of the company into the Vedanta group. The business value he generated over the next 2 years led to him being selected for executive leadership development in India and hence he moved to Mumbai, and subsequently Tuticorin.

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  Anglo American

  • Aggeneys, South Africa

  • Senior Executive

    • Sep 2004 - Jan 2011
    • Aggeneys, South Africa

    Growth Path:Apr 09 - Mar 11 MHSA 7(4) Safety & Sustainable Development Executive (BMM)Apr 07 - Mar 09 MHSA 7(2) Technical Services & Asset Optimisation Executive (BMM)Sep 04 - Mar 07 MHSA 3(1)a Metallurgical Plant Executive (BMM)

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  Namakwa Sands (Now part of Tronox Group of companies)

  • Saldanha Area, South Africa

  • Area Manager: Smelter Treatment Plants

    • Oct 2002 - Aug 2004
    • Saldanha Area, South Africa

    Here, as OHSA 16(2) appointee, Nathan handled slag treatment and pig iron casting (from the direct arc furnace smelter), analytical laboratory and product logistics for rutile, ilmenite and zircon distribution to international markets. He was pivotal in increasing iron recovery, augmenting slag efficiency, improving plant availability and clearing major slag stockpiles that had built up over 3 years within just 5 months of his appointment.

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  Black Mountain Mine

  • Aggeneys, South Africa

  • Metallurgical Plant Superintendent

    • Jan 2000 - Sep 2002
    • Aggeneys, South Africa

    In this role, as MHSA 2(6)1 appointee, Nathan ran a flotation plant for copper; lead and zinc concentrate production and handled maintenance, production planning and multiple product logistics. He succeeded in increasing Zn metal recovery and processing 14 different ore types while transitioning mines, and simultaneously reducing contaminants in the products.

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  Cleveland Potash

  • Boulby-at-Sea, United Kingdom

  • Senior Engineer: Metallurgical Projects

    • Mar 1998 - Dec 1999
    • Boulby-at-Sea, United Kingdom

    Nathan managed all technical metallurgical projects on the potash flotation plant and conducted technical development work covering a broad range of minerals processing unit operations. He ensured a high turnover in the plant projects delivery within only one year and published a technical paper in the international IMM journal.

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  Goedehoop Colliery

  • Witbank, South Africa

  • Senior Plant Metallurgist

    • Jan 1995 - Feb 1998
    • Witbank, South Africa

    Nathan completed his graduate management training programme well ahead of his peers and managed all technical projects on the coal washing/metallurgical coal beneficiation plant. He was the first person to initiate fine coal flotation thereby introducing a means to increase coal calorific yield He started the research and technology development for extended barrel cyclones (in LAC application) which later was implemented as best practice across all Anglo coal washing plants.