Full name(s) and surname:
Zelmia Botha

Company:
Exxaro

Short professional biography

Zelmia started her career in iron ore, evaluating the properties of Iscor iron ore in price negotiations with India and China. She moved to coal process engineering in 2008, where she was exposed to both LSTK and EPCM projects. This offered her the opportunity to become involved in the full project life cycle, from the tender and adjudication phases to creating and reviewing BOOM, BOOT, and commercial contracts, to contracts close-out. She also had the opportunity to be involved in carbon, coal, and coking coal projects in India and China and worked with multi-disciplinary teams in both countries until 2011.

In 2017 she was offered an opportunity to move from a highly specialized environment into a leadership role and she became the Commissioning Manager of the R5 billion Grootegeluk Expansion Mega-Project in Lephalale. This was a turning point in her career and her experience has highlighted the importance of building relationships, effective stakeholder management, diversity and inclusion, and innovation in the success of any mega project.

She now not only believes in the power of knowledge, but also the power of relationships, connection, innovation, and learning. She wants to build a safe space for team members to grow into a diverse, high-performing team where innovation can flourish.

Zelmia is also involved with the SAIMM, where she started with the annual SAIMM Student Colloquium. She has since been one of the Steering Committee members for the Technical Programme Committee (TPC), involved in the SAIMM’s Committee: Diversity and Inclusion in the Minerals Industry (DIMI) and serving as an Office Bearer.