Robert Van Niekerk (58)
Chief Technical and Innovation Officer
National Higher Diploma (Metalliferous Mining), Technikon Witwatersrand; BSc (Mining Engineering), University of the Witwatersrand;
South African Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency
Robert van Niekerk was appointed as Chief Technical and Innovation Officer for the Group from 31 May 2022 expanding his previous role as Chief Technical Officer. Previously he served as the Executive Vice President: Group Technical Services (from April 2020), Executive Vice President: SA PGM operations (from July 2017 to April 2020), Divisional CEO: Platinum and Executive Vice President: Organisational Effectiveness. Prior to joining Sibanye-Stillwater (in February 2013), he was the Senior Vice President and Group Technical Head of Mining at Gold Fields. He previously occupied several senior operational and executive management positions at Harmony, Anglo American Platinum Limited (Anglo American Platinum), Uranium One and Gold One. Robert began his mining career in 1982 as a Learner Official and progressed through the ranks at a number of South African underground and surface mining operations locally and outside of South Africa.
