Speakers

Morna Ikosa is an accredited chartered public relations practitioner, boasting over a decade of experience in brand management, strategic communications, digital marketing, public relations, stakeholder engagement, and reputation and issues management at both executive and middle management levels. Her expertise has been pivotal in crafting and executing innovative communication strategies and policies that significantly influence high-level decision-making, enhance brand reputation, brand resonance and brand visibility for some of Namibia’s most prestigious brands, including Bank Windhoek, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, and the Government Institution Pension Fund. Beyond her background in public relations, Morna is a skilled moderator, published author, and aspiring filmmaker. As a passionate columnist and developmental practitioner, she is deeply invested in sustainable development issues. Her adeptness as a moderator is further demonstrated by her participation in esteemed events such as the Mining Women Summit, the Mining Expo, and the NamibRe women's summit conferences, underscoring her influence and leadership in the industry.

Ms. Barcelona Tsauses is a Chemical Engineer and holds an Executive Management MBA from the University of Cape Town (Cum Laude). Ms. Tsauses has extensive cross functional executive leadership experience in the mining and resources sector in plant design & commissioning, processing Operations, Business Transformation and ESG teams. She is currently the Director of Sustainability and Business Transformation at the Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter. She has more than 18 years of experience in various commodities, namely: Zinc, Uranium and Copper and has developed and implemented various business systems including Organizational Transformation, Effectiveness and Accountability that led to record production and sustainable value creation over her career. Ms. Tsauses has designed and commissioned various plant units across her career, including the state-of-the-art Sulphuric Acid Plant at the Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter to mention a few. In 2009, she was awarded a global outstanding achievement by Anglo American for the design and commissioning of a processing unit. She is one of the founding members of the Women in Mining Association of Namibia. She is the Chairperson of the Health & Safety Committee of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia and further served on the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) Advisory Committee of the Metallurgy Engineering degree programme.

Chris has worked in various roles in the mining industry for over three decades, these have included both management and operational duties ranging from day-to-day operations to specialized project work. Over Chris’s career, he has worked on mining projects in Australia, Africa, Asia and the Middle East in both the terrestrial and marine environments. Chris has been actively involved in the raising of debt (project, mezzanine, and term loans) and equity finance, offtake arrangements, restructures, merger and acquisition activities including the listing of various mining companies on international stock exchanges. Chris’s years of experience have enhanced his understanding of the various aspects of the open-cut, underground and marine mining processes, be it exploration, geology, sustainable mining practices, development, environment, HSE and project financial parameters.

Mike’s 35 years’ experience in the mining industry includes roles as a consultant as well as in corporate and senior management in private and public listed resource companies operating in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, South America, and Australia. These various roles cover a broad range of responsibilities ranging from corporate management, statutory reporting and capital raising to exploration, environmental permitting and mine development. As a marine geologist and commercial diver scientist Mike has accumulated specialist knowledge in the areas of marine mineral exploration and mining and has been engaged in the development of the marine diamond mining sector in South Africa and Namibia since 1983. Since 2008, he has been responsible for development of NMP’s Sandpiper Marine Phosphate Project including delineation of the +1 billion ton phosphate mineral resource, issue of a Mining License and a Definitive Feasibility Study

Gabi Schneider holds MSc and PhD degrees in Economic Geology from Frankfurt University, Germany. She started her career at the Namibian Geological Survey in 1985 and served as its Director from 1996 to 2016, when she joined the Namibian Uranium Institute as Executive Director. She was the President of the Organisation of African Geological Surveys from 2013 to 2016. Her professional experience covers economic, exploration, and environmental geology, as well as management. She is an honorary life member of the Geological Society of Namibia, an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of London, and registered with the Namibian Geoscience Council and the South African Council for Natural Science Professionals. Dr Schneider is a member of a number of working groups of the World Nuclear Association and the International Atomic Energy Agency, where she chairs the Technical Working Group on Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation. She is a member of the scientific committee of UNESCO’s International Geoscience Programme, and locally chairs UNESCO’s Interim Geopark Task Force. She also serves as a member of Namibia’s Geoscience Council. Dr Schneider is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology, and played a leading role in the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Namibian Uranium Province.

John Roos is the Country Manager and Director of B2Gold Namibia, the nation’s largest gold mining company, which is 90% owned by B2Gold Corporation and 10% by EVI Mining Namibia. In his role, John oversees the company’s long-term strategy and corporate development. Before his appointment as Country Manager in November 2022, John led the Corporate Finance function and managed various green energy projects within the company. John is also actively involved in the Company’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives, spearheading various projects. He is a registered Chartered Accountant (SA) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia. Additionally, John serves on the boards of the Save The Rhino Trust and Nakayale Private Academy.

John is an experienced mining executive and geologist with more than 45 years’ uranium industry experience. He founded Paladin Energy Limited in 1993 and took it from a junior explorer to a multi-mine uranium company worth more than US$5 billion at its peak in the pre-Fukushima era developing the Langer Heinrich Mine and the Kayelekera Mine. He was appointed to the role of Managing Director/CEO of Deep Yellow in 2016, has since built a capable, experienced team with a proven track record and initiated a dual pillar growth strategy of discovery of new deposits and mergers and acquisitions. The flagship Tumas Uranium Project in Namibia is now on a development path aiming for production Q3 2027 of 3.6Mlb pa with a 30-year mine life and potential for an increase.

Dr Chris Brown, ecologist, and environmental scientist, has over thirty-five years’ practical experience in environmental management and administration, strategic planning and development, project and programme design and coordination. Previously he was Head of the Namibia Directorate of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and played a key role in drafting the environmental clauses in the Namibian Constitution. He was the Executive Director of the Namibia Nature Foundation for 12 years. He serves on several boards including that of Namibia’s Sustainable Development Advisory Council. Dr Brown holds a PhD Zoology (Conservation biology), BSc Hons degree (Zoology) and a BSc degree (Zoology, Entomology, Biochemistry).

Elmo Erasmus is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the supply chain and systems design and development sectors. With a career spanning over 45 years, he has held roles across various corporate organisations including Rössing. Currently, as the Managing Member of Tara Nawa Computer Software Solutions, he continues to leverage his extensive knowledge and experience to drive innovation and efficiency in the e-Procurement and e-Recruitment sectors.

Mr. Veston Malango is the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia. He is a Mining Engineer with a M.Sc. Degree (1985) from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany and a qualified Gemmologist with Diplomas (1993) in Diamond Grading and in Coloured Gemstones from the German Gemmological Training Centre in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Mr. Malango holds an MBA (2004) from the Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands. Mr. Malango has over 35 of experience in the mining industry in the SADC region. He worked in the Zambian copper mines after university studies as a graduate mining engineer, then at the Ministry of Mines and the SADC Mining Sector Coordinating Unit in Lusaka. Mr Malango was the Deputy Director of Mines at the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Namibia for eight years and then joined Ongopolo Mining & Processing Ltd, for one and half years as Director responsible for strategic projects. He has been heading the Chamber of Mines of Namibia since October 2005. Mr. Malango currently serves on Boards of the Namibia University of Science and Technology – Mining & Process Engineering Advisory Board (Board Chairperson), Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) and the Minerals Development Fund of Namibia (MDF). He has previously served on several other Boards; i.e. Bank of Namibia (Chairperson of the BoN Remuneration Committee), the Council of the Namibia University of Science and Technology as Vice-Chairperson, Namibia Trade Forum and the Namibia Medical Care (NMC) Fund. He is the past President of the Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (MIASA), a private sector regional body of all Chambers of Mines in the SADC Region. MIASA membership comprises the Chambers of Mines of Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

With a long-standing track record in Namibia’s mining and resources sector, Angelique plays a strategic role in supporting the growth and development of the country’s most critical industries. She leads RMB Namibia’s client strategy across mining, oil & gas, and emerging transition sectors such as green hydrogen—bringing deep insight and a collaborative, solutions-driven approach to complex industry needs. Since 2012, Angelique has been central to expanding RMB’s mining and energy portfolio, building trusted relationships with many of Namibia’s leading resource clients across the value chain—from exploration and project development through to operations and supply networks. For the past eight years, she has led RMB Namibia’s Client-Facing teams, enabling industry-tailored financial solutions that address the realities of doing business in a rapidly evolving resource landscape. Born in Namibia, Angelique began her banking career at Barclays plc in the UK in the early 2000s, before returning to contribute to the corporate and investment banking sector at home. She holds a BBA (Hons) from UNISA, and has completed a range of industry-specific certifications in mining, oil & gas, hydrogen, and ESG over the past years.

Irvinne Simataa is the Executive Vice President at Swakop Uranium (Pty) Ltd, the owner and operator of Husab Mine, the world’s largest open pit uranium mine and third largest uranium producer globally. He is a seasoned mining executive with more than 20 years mining experience and demonstrated results in diversified mineral commodities (Diamond, Gold, Zinc, Uranium and Mineral Sands). He has managed multidisciplinary management, technical, and operational teams in a highly unionized mining sector in Namibia and Africa. A driven corporate citizen with sound extractive minerals business ethics, he is has overseen major business turn-arounds in Namibia and is currently leading Uranium business developments efforts in Africa. Irvinne holds a Mining Engineering Honours Degree from the University of Witwatersrand and various business certifications from University of Stellenbosch Business School and Gordon Institute of Business. Mr. Simataa exemplifies a rare blend of techno-economic acumen and people-centered leadership, making him a pivotal figure in Namibia’s mining sector and an influential voice at the 2025 Mining Conference.

Willy Mertens is the Chief Executive Officer of Debmarine Namibia. Before taking position as CEO in November 2022, Willy held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Debmarine Namibia with oversight financial accountability of Namdeb Holdings. A registered Chartered Accountant by profession with a Graduate Diploma in Mining Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He also completed a Senior Executive Development Programme through the London Business School. He serves on the board of Development Bank of Namibia and previously served on boards in various industries, including electricity distribution, banking, aviation, and vocational training.

With 40 years’ working experience in exploration, mining, government, investments, corporate- and project finance, banking and strategic management and having served on boards of several financial and mining companies, Steve retired from banking in early 2017 but still serves on mining, community and governance boards.

George is the Managing Director and General Manager of QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine since January 2018. He is a Mining Engineer with nearly 30 years in the mining industry across various commodities. George holds a Mining Engineering Degree from the University of Zimbabwe, a Postgraduate in Mining Engineering from Wits University and an MBA from the London School of Business and Finance. Under George’s leadership, Navachab Gold Mine successfully pursued a growth and expansion strategy through cost discipline, efficiency excellency and investing in innovative technology that has completely transformed the mine into one of Namibia best performing mines. Navachab Gold Mine continues to grow with the expansion to underground mining in addition to the surface mining operations. George is very passionate about investing in the community, investing in training and empowering local communities especially youths and has led several impactful CSI projects.