Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman Named Chair of World Gold Council
Global gold industry organization, the World Gold Council (WGC), has appointed Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater, as its new chairperson and Niël Pretorius, CEO of DRDGold, as a director.
Froneman, with over 40 years of mining experience, succeeds Randy Smallwood, President, and CEO of Wheaton Precious Metals Corp, who served as WGC chair since 2020.
Under Froneman’s leadership, Sibanye-Stillwater transformed from a South African gold producer into a diversified mining and processing company with assets worldwide.
Sibanye-Stillwater has also made significant strides in platinum group metals recycling and tailings reprocessing. The company holds a 50.1% stake in DRDGold, known for large-scale gold production through mine dump and tailings dam reprocessing in South Africa.
This appointment signifies the WGC’s commitment to diversifying its board with a range of industry experiences and contributions.
Outgoing Chair Randy Smallwood was acknowledged for his leadership during his tenure, which saw various new initiatives and efforts to digitalize the gold industry and engage retail investors.
Froneman expressed his honor at being named WGC chairperson and emphasized the importance of innovation and forward-thinking in the evolving gold industry.
Niël Pretorius of DRDGold welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the WGC’s efforts in promoting gold and responsible mining practices, citing the potential for collaboration and knowledge sharing among its members.
