Our Leaders
Melvin Jones
Chief Executive Officer
Proconics Holdings Company
B.Eng (Chemical) University of Pretoria
M.Eng (Process Control) University of Pretoria
MBA Gordon Institute of Business Science
Pr.Eng - ECSA
Melvin spent the first decade of his professional life in the data-rich world of advanced control and analytics within several large operating companies, most notably Sasol.
He was quickly promoted into leadership roles and spent much of this period responsible for technology management. His role as a thought leader in the areas of abnormal situation management, decision support, and control system renewal prepared him to take the role as CEO at Proconics in 2010.
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Over the last 11 years, Melvin has led a steady growth within Proconics. He firmly established ethical governance and professional management as foundational tenants at Proconics.
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Melvin has led several successful waves of transformation, taking the company to where we are today – a management-owned level 1 BB-BEE company. We are 51% black-owned, 30% black woman-owned, 100% local, and committed to the excellence of South African engineering.
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As of 1 September 2021, the Proconics Holdings Company was established, where Melvin serves as the CEO, overseeing multiple companies and looking for new acquisitions to grow the group of companies to greater strengths.
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Melvin is passionate about the capability of South African engineers, and regularly talks about how we underestimate ourselves. He is truly excited about the next 10 years, and looks forward to leading our group of companies as we brilliantly solve South Africa’s biggest engineering challenges. Watch this space. #imstaying
Reginald Mbatha
Managing Director
Proconics
B.Eng (Chemical) University of Cape Town
BEng (Honours) Control Engineering: University of Pretoria
Accelerated Management Development Programme (AMDP)
Pr.Eng - ECSA
Reginald’s reputation as a dynamic and accomplished engineer, as well as project manager, was the reason Proconics recruited him in 2012.
It was his affinity for the work, combined with his tenacious character that saw him climbing the ranks within the company.
Reginald doesn’t shy away from a challenge. So when he was given the opportunity to start the Proconics Johannesburg branch, he was all in.
Under his leadership, the office delivered on the imperative to diversifying revenue. The strategic focus on primary power yielded excellent results, both in the traditional coal generation market (Eskom) and in the renewable market (IPP’s and EPC’s). Growth into the SADC region is getting special attention, with noticeable successes in Zimbabwe and Malawi. Mozambique and Zambia: watch this space!
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Reginald was appointed as the General Manager of Proconics from 1 September 2021. He is passionate about shaping the company into an even more diverse team, creating a space for local talent to solve the unique engineering problems that South Africa is faced with.
Rhigardt Nolte
Managing Director
Proconics International
B.Eng (Electrical & Electronic): University of Stellenbosch
B.Com Law: University of South Africa
LLB: University of South Africa 2011
Rhigardt’s degree qualifications in Electronic
Engineering and Commerce and Law, combined with more than a decade of project execution experience in the petrochemical environment have given him a thorough understanding of the challenges the industry faces.
Rhigardt has spent time working in Owners Engineer as well as Engineering Contractor roles and his interests in law has lead to him joining national standards committees and enjoying helping engineers ensure they comply with legal requirements.
Rhigardt started up the Cape Town Office in 2019 and has grown from strength to strength, servicing Petrochemical, Refinery as well Power Generation and Distribution clients.
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As of 1 March 2024, Rhigardt serves as the Managing director for Proconics International. As there are many opportunities and challenges in the International Market, Rhigardt is looking forward to the adventures and plans instal for Proconics International.
Bongani Ngcongo
Chief Financial Officer
Proconics Holdings Company
B Com, Honours (Accounting) University of KZN
Qualified as a Chartered Accountant
Bongani Ngcongo’s achievements before joining
Proconics included the turnaround of a company making a multi-million financial loss to a multimillion profit.
His big company experience is what brought him to the attention of Proconics, but it was in his interview where he impressed the Proconics management team by refusing to be a Yes-man and standing up for what he believes.
Bongani Ngcongo is Proconics’ safeguard – he is our legislative expert and ensures company sustainability through compliance. He has an affinity for attention to detail and strong beliefs about right and wrong, which is what makes him a treasure for a company that believes in brilliance.
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Bongani is serving as the CFO for Proconics Holdings Company from 1 September 2021.
Gert Nieuwoudt
Chief Technology Officer
Proconics Holdings Company
B.Eng. (Electronic), University of Pretoria
Pr. Eng - ECSA
Gert is a practical control engineer who has over 30 years’ experience in implementing traditional and modern advanced control systems.
He is an excellent communicator and educator, leading detail engineering and design teams.
He has a track record that includes the successful design and implementation of online migration projects at major petrochemical facilities and experience in the changeover and implementation of large control systems.
In the past few years his focus changed to supporting the organisation in various other roles which include leading of the IT and Automation departments, Quality Assurance and Control of the Engineering and Design product, SHERQ and Proposals teams.
Elizma van der Walt
Group Executive Petrochemicals
Proconics Holdings Company
B.Eng (Electronics) University of Pretoria
Pr.Eng – ECSA
Member : SANEA | South African National Energy Association, SAGOA | South African Oil and Gas alliance,
SAEEC | South African Electrotechnical export council, SAIMC | Society for Automation Instrumentation Mechatronics and Control
With almost 20 years experience in the petrochemical/oil and gas industry, Elizma
started her career in Sasol operations where she was deployed in Project Execution, specification development, technology advisory boards, asset integrity technology management, and People and skills development. From operations, Elizma was employed by Sasol in group technology, its large projects execution arm as a senior engineer.
Recruited by Proconics in 2015, Elizma joined Proconics as principal engineer and engineering manager heading up the expansion of its multidiscipline offering and refinery accounts. Elizma has instituted and grown a fully multi-disciplinary EPC execution function, strongly rooted in the Proconics values.
Elizma’s career as a petrochemical owner as well as the EPC project execution field, has enabled her to develop not only industry domain knowledge but a deep end-user appreciation and a valuable holistic view within the engineering fraternity to manage interdisciplinary teams. She has a passion for creative problem solving & collaborative leadership.
As of 1 September 2021, the Proconics Holdings Company was established, where Elizma serves as the group executive for the Proconics Holdings Group for Petrochemical and oil&gas vertical. She looks after our proudly South African energy transition at the group level, setting strategic direction for Petrochemicals and gas within the Proconics holdings group of companies. Elizma is a proud shareholder partner in Proconics and Proconics management company director.
Louis Selwyn Hall
Group Executive Renewables
Proconics Holdings Company
B.Eng (Electrical & Electronics) University of Cape Town
Pr.Eng – ECSA
SAIEE
Louis Selwyn Hall embarked on his engineering career in 2013 as an Engineer-in-Training at Eskom, where he gained valuable experience in the field. In November of the same year, he joined Proconics as an Assistant Electrical Engineer in the Sasolburg office, where he tackled challenging projects in Proconics’ traditional petrochemical industry. Louis sharpened his skills in LV and MV substation renewal projects and Greenfields projects, earning himself a reputation as a dependable and resourceful engineer.
Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Louis steadily advanced within Proconics, earning a promotion to Senior Manager - Electrical in 2017. He was a key member of the team that established the Johannesburg office, which expanded Proconics' reach beyond the oil and gas sector to better serve clients in renewable energy, utilities, food and beverage, and mining. In his new role, Louis led a team of engineers in the execution of a diverse portfolio of projects across various industries.
Louis' passion for renewable energy and his ability to deliver results earned him recognition as a leader in this field. He was instrumental in growing the renewable energy business at Proconics to the point where it became one of the company's primary offerings. In September 2021, Louis was appointed Group Executive for Renewables at Proconics Holdings, where he oversees the company's strategic vision for renewables, as well as Transmission and Distribution projects. His leadership and technical expertise continue to drive Proconics' success in the ever-growing renewable energy sector.
Dorah M. Tlala
Group Chief HR Officer
Proconics Holdings Company
B. I/O psychology - Vista University
MD (Management & Governance) - University Witwatersrand
BCom Hon(HR) - Mancosa
MBA - Mancosa
Executive - University Oxford
Dorah joined Proconics in 2020 as a Senior Manager in Human Resources and was promoted to Group Chief Human Resources Officer of the Proconics Holdings Company in 2021.
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She has an exceptional track record of leading successful HR operations for major-league enterprises over the past 18 years as a member of the SA Board of Personnel Practice (SABPP) and the Coaches and Mentors of SA (COMENSA).
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Louis Olivier
General Manager:
Engineering Contracts
Proconics
M. Dip. Tech (Electrical Eng. Light Current)
Pr. Tech. Eng - ECSA
Louis is a founding member of Proconics and his broad network and professional skills are well respected within the industry.
Having worked as primary technical contributor on a variety of green and brown field petrochemical multi-discipline projects, Louis has local and international engineering experience.
He has successfully delivered as a key resource for North American and European multinational Engineering Contractors and is a valuable asset for Proconics and our clients.
His in-depth knowledge across a broad range of control specialisation provides the direction required to meet the growing needs of an expanding entity.
Ludolph de Klerk
General Manager:
MEIP Mpumalanga
Proconics
B.Eng (Electrical) University of Pretoria
MBA Stellenbosch University
Ludolph is seen as an enabler within the Proconics Management team. He is an ECSA registered professional electrical engineer and leads various multi-disciplinary projects.
Ludolph is a great Proconics ambassador, living our values of customer focus, trust, integrity, professionalism and winning with people. His engineering exposure started in 2006 in the mining industry.
Ludolph became part of the Proconics family in 2011 and has helped to build the electrical team’s capabilities and capacity. His passion and interest in engineering have given him a broad understanding regarding the theory, application and approach to implementing projects within the mining and petro-chemical industry.
Phillip Koen
General Manager:
Western Cape
Proconics
B.Eng (Electrical&Electronic) the University of Stellenbosch, Pr. Eng - ECSA
In 2008 Phillip convinced the Proconics directorship not to close a flagging heavy current electrical department and then proceeded to grow the function into a force to be reckoned with.
Philip naturally challenges the status quo and is able to draw on his experience within power distribution and petrochemical operations.
His insights have helped stress test the Proconics strategic decisions and he is a vital part of the Executive Team.
In 2015 Phillip moved to the Vanderbijlpark branch and has grown this office to a Multi-discipline EPC Project executions team, consisting of Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, C&I, Construction- and Project Management specialists.
Marita van den Bergh
General Manager:
Gauteng
Proconics
B.Eng (Computer) University of Pretoria
MBA – GIBS Business School
Pr.Eng - ECSA
Member : SAIMC | Society for Automation Instrumentation Mechatronics and Control
As an experienced Control and Instrumentation Engineer by trade, Marita started her career in 2011 as a young engineer on several projects at Eskom. Marita developed a keen interest in automation engineering at that stage in Electrical SCADA systems.
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2012 Marita joined the private sector, Proconics as an Engineer in the Petrochemical sector, by doing basic Engineering and detail design for several brown-fields projects, as well as construction support during the implementation of designs. Her focus was not only on the Petrochemical sector but also on the Power and Renewable Energy sector.
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Her passion and focus for her work had an astounding career change from Engineer, to Senior Engineer, to Discipline Manager in the C & I group as from where she holds the position for the Proconics Holdings Group Executive: SOE’s, requiring her to look after the strategic vision of Proconics in the state-owned entities. Currently is she the General Manager at Proconics' Gauteng branch.
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Marita is a professionally registered Engineer, serving on the Definition of Engineering Work and Code of Practice Workgroups.
She also actively serves on the SAIMC (Society for Instrumentation, Mechatronics, and Control)
VA EXCO.
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Our Structure
Along with the rest of the globe, South Africa is on the cusp of an enormous energy transition and infrastructure build-out. The Proconics story, written over the last 25 years, has positioned us perfectly to play a major role in a just energy transition. And building on this experience, the company diversified in 2021 by creating the Proconics Holdings Company, where new acquisitions can find a home to enable South African talent development and growth.
Our Board
Prof. Lumkile Wiseman Nkuhlu
Chair of the Board of Directors
Prof. W L Nkuhlu joined the Proconics Board in November 2014 as a Non-Executive Chairman.
He is currently the Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, Trustee of the IFRS Foundation, and Chairman of Rothschild (SA). He is also director of AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, Datatec Limited, Rothschild SA, and Ethics Institute of South Africa.
Prof. Nkuhlu served as a director on a number of major companies, including Standard Bank, South African Breweries, Old Mutual, Tongaat Hulett, and BMW.
Currently, he is a member of the Advisory board of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
Fundiswa Roji-Maplanka
Non-Executive Director
Fundiswa joined the Proconics Board in November 2014 as a Non-Executive Director through the signing of the B-BBEE partnership
with Dlondlobala Capital (Pty) Ltd.
Fundiswa is currently with Dlondlobala Capital where she fulfils the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to her role at Dkapital, Fundiswa worked at Imperial Holdings Limited in the role of Strategy and Investor Relations and also served as a Non-Executive director for Technology Innovations Agency.
Geoff Wilmot
Non-Executive Director
Geoff graduated with a B.BusSci (Economics) degree in 2008 from the University of Cape Town, followed by completing his M.Phil (Finance) in the UK at Cambridge University (Judge Business School). He is a CFA Charter Holder.
Geoff spent seven years in Investec's Specialized Finance and Investment Banking teams, where he gained lending and advisory experience. In 2017 he joined The Abraaj Group – a global emerging markets private equity firm, as part of its sub-Saharan Africa investment team. He joined RMB Corvest in 2018.
Geoff’s experience includes working on private equity transactions across a range of industries and providing leveraged finance and corporate debt solutions to a diverse client base, including international and local private equity firms and large South African corporations. Geoff is currently a board member of various RMB Corvest portfolio companies.
Harry Coetzee
Non-Executive Director
With a BSc degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Wits University, Coetzee is a registered professional engineer and has held senior board and managerial positions in the past at Dorbyl Limited, Bosal Afrika and Toyota South Africa.
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Prior to joining Aberdare Cables, Coetzee was CEO of the IST electronic technology group which was recently acquired by Powertech.
Menzi Khoza
Board Member
Menzi studied at the University of Pretoria and completed his BCom and Honours (Finance) in 2011.
He thereafter joined the Nedbank Specialized Finance team, where he gained lending experience. After two and half years he joined Barclays Africa (Investment Bank) in the leveraged finance team.
While at Barclays, he was seconded to the London office to join the Corporate Finance division where he focused on EMEA Financial Sponsors.
He later joined the Corporate Finance team in Johannesburg focusing on financial sponsors. Menzi subsequently joined RMB Corvest in April 2018.