New Debmarine Namibia CEO, Will Mertens.
New Debmarine Namibia CEO, Will Mertens.

Debmarine Namibia welcomes Willy Mertens

The new chief executive officer enjoys maths
Debmarine Namibia has appointed Willy Mertens as its new chief executive officer, effective 1 November.
Mertens will succeed Otto Shikongo, who retires from the business at the end of this year, having been at the helm since 1 January 2004.

Mertens completed his secondary school at Elle du Plessis High School in 1993 with a distinction in mathematics.

He then completed his bachelor’s degree, majoring in accounting, auditing, and economics, at the University of Namibia (Unam) in 1996.

In addition to his chartered accounting training, he also holds a post-graduate diploma in engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, as well as numerous professional executives training qualifications, including from the London Business School.

Mertens is dedicated to God, a proud husband, father and Namibian, and a runner and a footballer.

"Not only does Mertens have a deep understanding of our business, he also has an acute appreciation of the strategic role of Debmarine Namibia within the broader context of Namibia," said Debmarine Namibia board chairperson, Ndeulipula Hamutumwa.

Mertens is currently the chief financial officer of Debmarine Namibia with oversight accountability for Namdeb Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

He is a chartered accountant by training and brings to his new role a wealth of corporate experience spanning more than 20 years.



Praises

Hamutumwa said that they are pleased to announce the appointment of Willy Mertens as CEO.

"I extend my sincere appreciation to Otto Shikongo, who has played a pivotal role in making Debmarine Namibia the world-class leader it is today. On behalf of everyone at De Beers Group, I thank Otto for his 35 years of outstanding service. At the same time, we are delighted that Willy will succeed Otto.”

"Willy has been a key member of the Debmarine Namibia leadership team for the last 10 years, and I look forward to his leadership as CEO," Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said.

Under Shikongo’s leadership, Debmarine Namibia has become a recognised world-class company; an aspect of immense pride for all of Debmarine Namibia.

His many achievements include the migration of the business from South Africa to Namibia in 2001, the acquisition of a world-class diamond recovery fleet, including the custom-built mv SS Nujoma, the world’s first custom-built marine diamond sampling vessel, and the recently inaugurated, Benguela Gem, the world’s largest diamond recovery vessel.

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Namibian Sun 2024-05-12

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Premier League: Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05% Sport results: Premier League: Nottingham Forest 2 vs 3 Chelsea | Newcastle 1 vs 1 Brighton | Wolves 1 vs 3 Crystal Palace | Everton 1 vs 0 Sheffield United | West Ham 3 vs 1 Luton Town | Bournemouth 1 vs 2 Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur 2 vs 1 Burnley | Fulham 0 vs 4 Manchester City LaLiga: Athletic Club 2 vs 2 Osasuna | Granada 0 vs 4 Real Madrid | Villarreal 3 vs 2 Sevilla | Mallorca 1 vs 0 Las Palmas | Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 2 Girona SerieA: AC Milan 5 vs 1 Cagliari | Napoli 0 vs 2 Bologna | Frosinone 0 vs 5 Inter Milan Weather: Katima Mulilo: 15° | 33° Rundu: 15° | 32° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 16° | 32° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 31° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 16° | 31° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 20° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:02, High tide: 06:03, Low Tide: 00:33, High tide: 18:39 Swakopmund: 15° | 16° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:01, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:37 Walvis Bay: 15° | 23° Wind speed: 31km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 12:00, High tide: 06:00, Low Tide: 00:31, High tide: 18:36 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 20° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 17° | 30° Lüderitz: 12° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 10° | 23° Luanda: 25° | 27° Gaborone: 15° | 27° Lubumbashi: 15° | 29° Mbabane: 14° | 19° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 12° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 14° | 27° Cape Town: 13° | 22° Durban: 18° | 22° Johannesburg: 14° | 23° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 17° | 28° Harare: 14° | 27° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23 | EUR to NAD 19.82 | CNY to NAD 2.55 | USD to NAD 18.41 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.56 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.06 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.6 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1439.8 | USD to ZAR 18.44 | USD to ZMW 26.75 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 78464.25 Up +1.19% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.6 Up +1.22% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13527.01 Up +0.36% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26003.16 Up +0.05% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 360.52/OZ UP +0.59% | Copper US$ 4.62/lb UP +1.13% | Zinc US$ 2 961.00/T DOWN -0.06% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.21/BBP DOWN -0.0171 | Platinum US$ 995.62/OZ UP +1.05%