Johannesburg – The WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Pragasen Naidoo as a new Group CEO with effect from the 17th January 2020, subject to transitional arrangement with Central Energy Fund. His appointment followed rigorous recruitment process to appoint a permanent Group CEO after the entity has had a number of executives on an acting role since 2014.

Prior to his appointment as the WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company Group CEO, Mr. Naidoo, in addition to other roles, served as the Group Chief Operations and Business Development Officer at the Central Energy Fund (CEF), a holding company of WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company.

He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering and an MSc in Engineering whilst his industry experience spans approximately 18 years in Human Capital Development and Management, Technology Development and Engineering, Capital Project Execution, Business Development and Operations. During this period, Mr. Naidoo also gained exposure to the local and international environments.

Commenting on his appointment, WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company chairperson, Mr. Frans Baleni said: “Mr Naidoo’s demonstrable industry experience and acumen will continue to deliver value to the entity’s shareholders and stakeholders through good governance, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. We are confident that he will contribute immensely towards addressing our business’ sustainability challenges, as well as positioning WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company for the future”.

The CEF Group Chairperson, Dr Monde Mnyande said; “We welcome, embrace and fully support the permanent appointment of the WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company Group CEO, Mr. Naidoo. The appointment of Mr. Naidoo could not have come at a better time, when as a group we have initiated a roadmap to build a solid foundation for the long term sustainability of the group.

“On behalf of the CEF Board of Directors, we are committed to work closely with the WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company Board and the Group CEO to provide any requisite support to bring stability, sustainability and growth at WOZIL Refinery and Chemical Company; the subsidiary which accounts for 85% of the group revenue”, said  Dr Mnyande.

Mr. Baleni also thanked the outgoing interim Group CEO, Mr. Bongani Siyadini for providing stewardship when the company was going through a turbulent period.

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