Full Name: Jacques van Tonder

Position and Company Name: Executive director and COO of Vedanta Zinc International

Main Activity of the Company: Mining

Date and Place of Birth: March 27, 1972, Kempton Park, South Africa

Schools and Tertiary Education: Master’s degree in asset and maintenance management, Central Queensland University; MBA (Project Management), Australian Institute of Business; Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors; Unrestricted Quarry Manager, Western Australia

First Job: Nondestructive testing technician (industrial radiography) at the Mossgas project, in Mossel Bay, in South Africa’s Western Cape province

Size of First Pay Packet: R10 an hour

Career Path to Date: I started my career at Rio Tinto with the Palabora Mining Company, overseeing maintenance, after which I went on to lead port operations at Cape Lambert, before being promoted to operations manager of the Robe Valley openpit iron-ore mine, in Western Australia. By 2010, I had assumed the role of GM/mine manager of Rio Tinto’s Hope Downs 4 mine and climbed the executive ladder to head of the group’s Asset Management Centre of Excellence. After more than a decade with Rio Tinto, I moved on to Oyu Tolgoi, in Mongolia, as the chief development officer from 2020 until March this year. I joined Vedanta Zinc International on April 1

Value of Assets under Your Control: Not stated

Number of People under Your Leadership: The total number of employees is 5 000 to 5 500

Management Style: A situational/coaching leadership style

Personal Best Achievement: Personal – 1 Parachute Battalion; professional – delivering the $7.6-billion Oyu Tolgoi underground project to sustainable production for shareholders in Mongolia and negotiating a new power import agreement for the business with the Inner Mongolia government as interim CEO and chief development officer

Person Who Has Had the Most Influence on Your Life: My mother

Person Who Has Had the Most Influence on Your Career: Rob Atkinson and Bold Bataar – they provided me with opportunities for career growth

Person You Would Most Like to Meet: The Dalai Lama

Business Person Who Has Impressed You Most: Tom Palmer, from Newmont

Philosophy of Life: A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle

Biggest Ever Opportunity: The Oyu Tolgoi project and my current role, where I am part of a team that is growing one of the largest zinc businesses in the world

Biggest Ever Disappointment: Any injury that ever occurred on an operation or project I was accountable for

Hope for the Future: That South Africa reclaims its dominance in the mining industry globally by attracting direct foreign investment, securing power certainty and fixing our rail network so we can become globally competitive in terms of resource supply

Favourite Reading: I am an old Wilbur Smith fan

Favourite TV Programme: I don’t watch much TV but, if I do, I like to watch real-life documentaries

Favourite Food/Drink: Laksa soup/sheep head, and Lemon Lime and bitters

Favourite Music: It depends on my mood, but I listen to R&B when I want to relax

Favourite Sport: Adventure sports or ultra-endurance activities (including running, swimming and cycling), and rugby

Hobbies: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, vintage cars and motorbikes, and gardening

Car: A 1972 Volkswagen Beetle

Pets: A Staffie named Zeke

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Self-important and judgmental people

Children: Wessel Alexander, 26

Clubs: Mongolian Rugby Union (board director); Garuda (Mongolia); and Pride Fighting Academy (Cape Town) – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu