The fourth installment in our continent-wise shout-out to newly appointed CEOs actually worth knowing, following North America, Europe, and Asia. This one covers Africa — including a genuinely historic first for one of the world’s largest mining companies.
Natascha Viljoen — Newmont
Viljoen becomes CEO of Newmont, the world’s largest gold mining company, from January 2026, succeeding Tom Palmer, who is retiring after leading the company since 2019. She’ll be the first woman to head Newmont in the company’s more than 100-year history — a genuinely historic first for one of the largest and oldest names in global mining, an industry that has been slower than most to put women in its most senior operating roles.
Viljoen, who has South African roots and previously held senior positions at Valterra, BHP, and Lonmin, joined Newmont in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer, giving her direct operational familiarity with the business before stepping into the top role. The transition has been structured deliberately for continuity: outgoing CEO Tom Palmer is staying on as a strategic advisor until his full retirement at the end of March 2026, rather than leaving immediately.
Why she’s worth watching: gold mining is a genuinely capital-intensive, operationally demanding industry, and Viljoen’s background running actual mining operations — not just corporate strategy — means her early decisions will be read closely as a signal of whether operational expertise, not just financial management, is what the industry’s next generation of leadership actually needs.
Fraser Wyllie — Aveng
Wyllie was appointed CEO designate of Aveng, a JSE-listed South African construction company founded in 1889 during the country’s gold-mining boom, with the role effective from October 1, 2026. Aveng has spent recent years working through real financial and project difficulties, and the board’s selection process specifically weighed both internal and external candidates before choosing Wyllie.
Wyllie brings more than 30 years of civil contracting experience across the UK, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, and joined McConnell Dowell in 2017 specifically to turn around underperforming projects — a track record that includes three consecutive years without a loss-making project in his business unit. That’s a specific, checkable credential, not a general reputation for competence.
Why he’s worth watching: a 137-year-old company hiring a proven turnaround specialist, rather than a growth-focused executive, is itself a signal about what Aveng’s board believes the company actually needs right now — stabilization before expansion.
Next in this series
South America is next, including a genuinely historic appointment at one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
