Dr van der Walt has a proven track-record in mining project development and has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and a deep understanding of project delivery in Africa. Focusing on mine optimisations without compromising standards or safety, he has had oversight of billion-dollar budgets and has lead large scale workforces, being charged with the responsibility of numerous direct and up to 3,500 indirect reports.

His key focus is to oversee all aspects of the Makuutu Rare Earths Project, which will include further growth strategies for the mine.

Before joining Ionic Rare Earths, Dr van der Walt was General Manager of Projects and Studies Africa with specialist resources private equity group EMR Capital, where he was leading the Lubambe Copper Project in Zambia. Prior to that he was with Newmont as Regional Project Director for Africa where he delivered the US$2 billion Ahafo mega-project in Ghana.

Dr van der Walt has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria, a Master’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Cape Town and a PhD in Business Administration from the Potchefstroom Business School, University of North West, South Africa.