Vedanta Resources’ Zinc International announced the appointment of former Anglo American Thermal Coal CFO Deshnee Naidoo as CEO designate at its Gamsberg-Skorpion integrated project stakeholder briefing, held in Aggeneys, in the Northern Cape, last week.

She will work alongside current CEO Kishore Kumar, until he leaves at the end of this year.

Naidoo, who has 16 years’ experience in the resources industry, including in the platinum, thermal coal and manganese sectors, has held the position of strategic long-term planning manager, corporate finance manager and deputy head at the CEO's office, while under the leadership of former Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll.

She has also held various technical positions at Anglo American.

Further, Naidoo will also fulfil the role of CEO designate for Vedanta group company Sesa Sterlite’s Copper Mines of Tasmania (CMT) subsidiary.

Speaking at the briefing, Naidoo commended Vedanta and Kumar for the successful delivery of the first phase of the Gamsberg-Skorpion integrated project, which entails a three-year R8.7-billion investment to develop a 250 000 t/y openpit zinc mine, concentrator plant and associated infrastructure at Gamsberg, as well as the development of a 150 000 t/y integrated roaster with acid plant and calcine leach section at the existing Skorpion Zinc refinery, in Namibia, to enable it to treat the zinc sulphide deposits from the Gamsberg mine to produce high-grade zinc.

In addition to managing the existing business at Zinc International and CMT, she will champion the growth opportunity of the Gamsberg-Skorpion integrated zinc project by “ensuring the successful execution of the first phase of the project and ensuring that the Southern African region is sufficiently equipped for the development of a larger mine in terms of infrastructure.

She will also drive the right operational agenda in terms of diversity and obtaining the necessary operational calibre of talent from the Northern Cape and ensuring open lines of communication so that all the stakeholders are clear about what the project approval means for the town of Aggeneys, the Khai Ma municipality and the Namakwa region of the Northern Cape.