TSX-V-listed Giyani Metals Corp, developer of the K.Hill battery-grade manganese project, in Botswana, has appointed Nigel Robinson as chairperson and Martin Botha to its board of directors. 

Robinson succeeds Mark Burnett, who was interim chairperson, bringing extensive experience from nine years as CFO and a further six-and-a-half years as CEO of Central Asia Metals.

Giyani wishes Burnett well in his future endeavours and sincerely thanks him for his time and service as interim chairperson.

Robinson has over 35 years' experience as an accountant in commercial businesses and, most recently, spent over 17 years developing the Central Asia Metals business into a well-established mining company listed on the LSE and with a market capitalisation of just under £300-million.

He has a degree in engineering from Lancaster University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Botha, meanwhile, succeeds Alex Azpitarte as the board nominee appointed by ARCH Sustainable Resources Funds pursuant to the investor rights agreement entered into by Giyani and ARCH in conjunction with ARCH’s $10-million investment into the company in February 2024. 

The company wishes Azpitarte well in his future endeavours and thanks him for his service as a director. 

Botha has over 30 years’ experience in international investment banking. He was a founding director in Standard Bank’s London and international operations where his experience included establishing and leading global natural resources trading and financing franchises. 

He was, until recently, nonexecutive chairperson of ASX-listed West African miner Resolute Mining and nonexecutive director of Zeta Resources.

He holds a BSc degree in Engineering (Survey) from the University of Cape Town.

Further to these appointments, Elisa Kgomotso Modikwa, Giyani’s country manager for Botswana, has been appointed VP and country executive. 

Modikwa has led Giyani’s in-country portfolio and stakeholder engagement for the past three years. As the project grows, her expanded role will include broader strategic initiatives and leadership of larger teams to support Giyani’s continued growth in Botswana.

She has over 15 years of experience in geology, geotechnical consulting and mining operations across Botswana and the Middle East, with expertise in stakeholder engagement, project management, regulatory compliance and sustainability.