The appointments signal Eskom’s legal separation into generation, distribution and transmission, which is the key aspect of Eskom’s turnaround plan.
The Eskom board has appointed the board of directors of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA). The creation of the NTCSA Board is one of the most essential pillars of Eskom's legal separation into three entities: generation, distribution, and transmission, which is a vital component of Eskom's Turnaround Plan as envisioned by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).
“The appointment of NTCSA Board takes Eskom a step closer to unlocking the potential that comes with the planned transformation of the electricity industry. We thank all the individuals who raised their hands to guide Eskom into a future where South Africans have reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly supply of power,” says Eskom board chairperson, Mteto Nyati.
Among the new appointees is Dr Brian Armstrong, designated as the lead independent director. He is a prominent information and communication technology (ICT) industry leader in South Africa, with more than 30 years of top-level management experience in telecommunications, information technology, technology research and development (R&D), and systems engineering, both in South Africa and abroad.
He is a thought leader on digitalisation, convergence, and business strategy. In July 2017, he was appointed Professor of digital business at Wits Business School. He served as Telkom's group chief operating officer and group chief commercial officer.
Priscillah Mabelane, who has been appointed as the chairperson of the NTCSA board. She is the executive vice president: energy business for Sasol, a role through which she is advancing Sasol’s aspirational vision to lead the Just Energy Transition in Southern Africa and to unlock South Africa’s potential to be a global green hydrogen and derivatives player.
She is a qualified chartered accountant, with experience in leadership, corporate finance, strategy, energy and risk. She is responsible for upstream and downstream gas activities as well as distribution, marketing and sales of liquid fuels in Southern Africa. She is leading strategy formulation for the energy business, which will support and steer a stakeholder-centric approach in spurring sustainable growth.
Anu Sing has more than 25 years of experience at board and executive level. She has had three successful careers, as an engineer, investment banker and in telecommunications. In her last corporate role, she spent five years with the MTN where she fulfilled roles such as group executive: business intelligence, group executive for strategic business operations and GM: passive infrastructure, and where she led the setup of MTN GlobalConnect, MTN’s wholesale business. As an investment banker, she participated in several landmark deals across multiple sectors including energy, mining, heavy industry, manufacturing, financial services and real estate. Anu holds an MBA and completed a BSc in mechanical engineering.
Busisiwe Vilakazi holds a DPhil in engineering science from the University of Oxford. She is the head of research and innovation at SITA and a former senior researcher at the CSIR. She has experience and skills in ICT research and innovation, data science and analytics, strategy, digital transformation. She is also currently a non-executive director of the Eskom board of directors.
Other appointees that make up the new board include, Carmen Le Grange, Nkosinathi Solomon, Prof. Mark Swilling, Auke Lont, Prof. Francis Petersen, Sedzani Mudau, and Tryphosa Ramano.
