Sasol appoints its first black woman chairperson

OIL and gas giant Sasol has appointed its first black and first woman chairperson, Hixonia Nyasulu, the group said yesterday.

She will replace present chairman Pieter Cox who retires in November, Sasol said after releasing its annual results. Nyasulu will formally take over after the November 2008 annual general meeting.As Nyasulu had a ,.275 per cent indirect interest in Sasol Oil, a subsidiary of Sasol, she could not be regarded as fully independent.Therefore, in line with international corporate governance practice, the board had also appointed Professor Juergen Schrempp as lead independent director.”His role will include chairing the board when matters pertaining to Sasol Oil are dealt with at the Sasol board,” the company said.Cox congratulated Nyasulu on her appointment.”She is a respected board member and it is a pleasure after 13 years on the Sasol Limited board to hand the baton to her,” he added.Nyasulu is the founder and chairwoman of Ayavuna Women’s Investments, a women-controlled investment vehicle.Before founding Ayavuna in 2004, she managed T H Nyasulu and Associates, a marketing strategy and research company she started in 1984 after working for Unilever for six years.She has served on the boards of several South African companies since 1992, including Saficon Motor Holdings, AVI , McCarthy Retail, Glodina and Nedbank, where she became deputy chairwoman.Until recently, she was also on the board of Anglo Platinum.She is currently a director of Unilever PLC/NV and serves on the boards of Barloworld, Glenrand MIB and the Tongaat-Hulett Group.She is also a director and co-owner of Paton Tupper Associates, a Durban-based design agency, as well as a member of the JP Morgan South Africa advisory board.Born in 1954 in Randfontein, Nyasulu attended the Inanda Seminary before proceeding to the University of Zululand where she obtained a BA in Social Work and an honours degree in psychology.Nampa-SapaNyasulu will formally take over after the November 2008 annual general meeting.As Nyasulu had a ,.275 per cent indirect interest in Sasol Oil, a subsidiary of Sasol, she could not be regarded as fully independent.Therefore, in line with international corporate governance practice, the board had also appointed Professor Juergen Schrempp as lead independent director.”His role will include chairing the board when matters pertaining to Sasol Oil are dealt with at the Sasol board,” the company said.Cox congratulated Nyasulu on her appointment.”She is a respected board member and it is a pleasure after 13 years on the Sasol Limited board to hand the baton to her,” he added.Nyasulu is the founder and chairwoman of Ayavuna Women’s Investments, a women-controlled investment vehicle.Before founding Ayavuna in 2004, she managed T H Nyasulu and Associates, a marketing strategy and research company she started in 1984 after working for Unilever for six years.She has served on the boards of several South African companies since 1992, including Saficon Motor Holdings, AVI , McCarthy Retail, Glodina and Nedbank, where she became deputy chairwoman.Until recently, she was also on the board of Anglo Platinum.She is currently a director of Unilever PLC/NV and serves on the boards of Barloworld, Glenrand MIB and the Tongaat-Hulett Group.She is also a director and co-owner of Paton Tupper Associates, a Durban-based design agency, as well as a member of the JP Morgan South Africa advisory board.Born in 1954 in Randfontein, Nyasulu attended the Inanda Seminary before proceeding to the University of Zululand where she obtained a BA in Social Work and an honours degree in psychology.Nampa-Sapa

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