Debswana Names New Managing Director

RAPAPORT... Debswana, De Beers' 50:50 mining joint venture with the Botswana government, has appointed Andrew Maatla Motsomi as managing director on a five-year contract.Motsomi will join Debswana on June 1 from the Bank of Botswana, where he has held several senior positions, most recently as deputy governor, De Beers announced Friday. He will succeed Lynette Armstrong, who had been acting in the role since August 2019 following the death of previous Debswana managing director Albert Milton. At the Bank of Botswana, Motsomi represented the southern African country at various forums, including at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He also worked on attachment at the IMF in Washington, DC, as a special appointee, and served as chairman of the board of trustees for the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis. "While we were fortunate to have had several very strong candidates for this important role, the Debswana board saw Mr. Motsomi as the ideal person to take the business forward," said De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver, who is also chairman of that board. "His leadership and strategic insight, honed over a long and distinguished career with the Bank of Botswana, will be fundamentally important in helping Debswana continue to deliver outstanding value, both for the people of Botswana and for De Beers Group."Image: Andrew Maatla Motsomi. (De Beers)