Executive Leadership
Meet our Group Executives
Aba Location:
GZ Industries LTD.
Umueme Village, Obingwa Local Government,
Via Glass Force Road,
Along UMU Chichi, off Okpu Umuobo, Aba,
Abia State, Nigeria
Uriel Kertesz was appointed to the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director effective the 14th of January 2013 and became the Chairman of the Board effective the 10th October 2018.
Uriel is a Hungarian/Israeli entrepreneur and accomplished administrator of international repute, having over 40 years of experience.
Managed and supervised the execution of various engineering and business projects in Israel, Hungary, Nigeria and SA and more.
James was appointed the Group Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors effective the 3rd of February 2020. James is an experienced senior business leader who has enjoyed a 30-year FMCG based career with PZ Cussons International PLC in various leadership roles around the world.
A Marketing professional by training, James has worked in Europe, Asia and most recently for over 14 years in Africa in roles which include Supply Chain Director, Managing Director and Marketing Lead.
Ronald is a founding Partner and Head of sub-Saharan Africa at Affirma Capital, a newly formed, independent emerging market private equity firm which provides equity funding for expansions, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and management buyouts.
Prior to Affirma Capital, he was Managing Director and Head of Africa for Standard Chartered Private Equity’s (“SCPE”) Africa division which was established in 2008. Before relocating to Africa in 2008, Ronald spent 6 years at Goldman Sachs in the U.S. as a Senior Associate within the U.S. investment giant’s investment banking division.
Derek is an Investment Professional at Affirma Capital, directly responsible for managing around USD450 million of invested capital under an USD850 million Africa fund. He is an emerging market investment professional with over 10 years of diversified experience in origination, deal execution, portfolio management and exit, corporate finance and principal investing in Africa.
Prior to Affirma Capital, he was a Director at Standard Chartered Bank’s Africa Private Equity business. He currently sits on the boards of four portfolio companies and is the Chairperson of the GZI Board Audit and Risk Committee.
Lara is an Investment Professional at Oppenheimer Partners (OP). Prior to joining OP, Lara held the position of Chief Financial and Operating Officer at African Leadership Academy for 6 years, co-shaping the strategic direction and establishing a strong financial and sustainability position for the organization.
She has also previously held various positions in the banking and healthcare industries, most recently at Bank of America and McKesson Corporation.
Yifat is a Partner, Corporate Strategy with BDO Consulting specialising in strategic consultation for business entities, holding companies, and profit centers.
With 20 years of experience in strategic consulting, Yifat is a specialist in dealing with strategic dilemma, formulating growth strategies and turnarounds as well as formulating strategic guidelines, identifying suitable entities and accompanying mergers and acquisitions.
She holds extensive experience in various fields including logistics, agriculture, industrial plants (metal / plastics), security, food and services.
Taimoor is a Founding Partner at Affirma Capital and Head of Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Private Equity and Chairman of Africa Private Equity. Taimoor has 22 years of direct private equity and investment banking experience with leading international and regional institutions, including deep relationships with leading family groups, regulators, sovereign wealth funds and limited partners.
Prior to Affirma Capital, Taimoor was Head of Africa & Middle East Private Equity business for Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE).
He joined SCPE in March 2010 as a Managing Director and currently or historically sat on the boards of Al Jazeera Poultry, CEC, Eaton Towers, FINE Hygienic (Vice Chairman), GZI, Topaz Energy & Marine, Souq.com (observer), and Union Bank of Nigeria. Previously he was also Head of Global Private Equity Portfolio Management (2013-2016) overseeing the overall global portfolio throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Vince Raseroka
Chairman
Maruping is a Non-Executive Director of GZI South Africa and Chairman of the Finance and Risk Committee. She has over 11 years of combined private equity and corporate finance experience across Sub-Saharan Africa.
She is a Principal at Affirma Capital, an independent emerging market private equity firm. Before joining Affirma Capital, she was a Principal at Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), having joined the firm in 2013.
Her previous experience includes Mergers and Acquisitions within Standard Bank’s Africa Corporate Finance Division, where she developed core sector knowledge in sub-Saharan Africa’s consumer, industrials and agribusiness sectors. Maruping is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Alphina has over 12 years’ experience as a senior finance professional, with multinational experience across various African countries and has had strong exposure to complex manufacturing environments. She previously served as General Manager: Finance BME, a division of Omnia, where Alphina spent 10 years spearheading multiple strategic finance initiatives.
Alphina has developed and implemented best-in-class finance strategies, audit programs, comprehensive risk management systems and robust finance governance structures.
Ruben Bassoli
Group COO
Ruben has over 39 years’ experience in the two-piece can industry (Latasa, Metalic and Rexam in South America) across various senior managerial positions, including heading up a 7.2 Billions Ends manufacturing plant. Ruben is an industry expert in can manufacturing technology and processes.
Ayodeji is a finance professional with over 14 years of experience in both industry and accounting practice. Prior to joining GZI, he was the Group Head of Finance of Forte Oil Plc (now Ardova Plc) where he was responsible for the finance functions of the Group’s downstream businesses in Nigeria and Ghana, upstream services and power generating businesses in Nigeria.
He also worked with Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd where he was responsible for the financial reporting and tax functions of the entity. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, United Kingdom and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia.
He is a graduate of Industrial and Labour Relations from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago- Iwoye and has a masters in accounting from Babcock University Ilishan Remo. He is an alumnus of IE Business School Madrid and has attended executive management programs at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, USA.
Vinnie is a professional executive with more than 30 years’ experience in the FMCG, primarily in the beverage industry in Africa and Europe.
Prior to joining GZI, he was the Global Programme Manager for Heineken NV in Netherlands, where he was responsible for Complexity Reduction, Innovation and Sustainability for the Group in Heineken Global Procurement. He joined Heineken South Africa in the capacity of Innovations and Strategic Projects Director before relocating to Netherlands.
Before Heineken, Vinnie was an executive at SA Breweries (later Anheuser-BuschInBev) for more than 22 years, based in Johannesburg, in various roles, including, Commercial Manger, New Product development Manager, Head of PMO and Head: Procurement (Southern Africa Cluster). He also had periods of employment with SC Johnson Wax, Simba Frito-Lay and National Sorghum Breweries, predominately in Supply Chain.
Vinnie holds a B.Sc (Hons.) Degree in Microbiology from the University of Durban -Westville, South Africa and an MBA from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. He has both MCIPS and CPIM professional credentials from CIPS and APICS respectively, as well as being an Associate member of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD).
Samir has 20 years’ experience in plant management across multiple emerging markets including India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria. He joined GZI South Africa as production manager following a ten-year career at the GZI head office in Nigeria. Samir’s previous employer includes leading global players, most notably Rexam India and Ball (United Arab Can). During his career, Samir has commissioned multiple plants, with a combined capacity of over 3,5 Billion Cans a year, with a focus on technological innovation.
Alphina has over 12 years’ experience as a senior finance professional, with multinational experience across various African countries and has had strong exposure to complex manufacturing environments. She previously served as General Manager: Finance BME, a division of Omnia, where Alphina spent 10 years spearheading multiple strategic finance initiatives.
Alphina has developed and implemented best-in-class finance strategies, audit programs, comprehensive risk management systems and robust finance governance structures.
Morwaledi Mahlangu
Country HR Manager
Morwaledi has over 15 years’ experience in Human Resources with Multinational experience and exposure in different industries such as Manufacturing , Retail, Media and Telecommunications. She has made significant contributing to HR strategy development and execution. Morwaledi holds an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology.
During her career, Morwaledi has partnered with businesses to assess people and business-related risks, potential loss of revenue and management of costs. She has developed and implemented HR strategies to drive business strategy and ensuring operational excellence. In her career
Morwaledi has successfully implemented HRIS systems and other performance improvement processes. She is very passionate about talent management to ensure that the business is geared to succeed. Morwaledi has played an instrumental role in driving a high-performing culture and ensuring engagement and stability.
Ayodeji is a finance professional with over 14 years of experience in both industry and accounting practice. Prior to joining GZI, he was the Group Head of Finance of Forte Oil Plc (now Ardova Plc) where he was responsible for the finance functions of the Group’s downstream businesses in Nigeria and Ghana, upstream services and power generating businesses in Nigeria.
He also worked with Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd where he was responsible for the financial reporting and tax functions of the entity. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, United Kingdom and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia.
He is a graduate of Industrial and Labour Relations from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago- Iwoye and has a masters in accounting from Babcock University Ilishan Remo. He is an alumnus of IE Business School Madrid and has attended executive management programs at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, USA.
Modupe is the Company Secretary and Group Legal Counsel with over 14 years in Legal Advisory, Company Secretariat, Corporate Governance and Regulatory Compliance. She has held leadership positions in these capacities within the financial services sector in Insurance, energy-downstream, and pension.
Before joining GZI, Modupe was the Head of Legal, Governance and Compliance in one of the Insurance firms in Nigeria, responsible for monitoring current and emerging legal risks in the business, the enforcement of all Regional and Internal Policies and fulfilling statutory compliance with local regulations.
She is an associate of the Nigerian Bar Association and a student member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
Dirk Van Der Meij
Group Chief Commercial and Innovation Officer
Dirk is the Group Chief Commercial and Innovation Officer with more than 15 years of experience in packaging industry. During this time, he has held several leadership positions in both commercial and operational roles.
Before Dirk joined the GZI family, he was the General Manager of Benelux and Scandinavia for a leading global can maker. Previous to this role, Dirk has fulfilled several commercial roles being responsible for both global key customers and regional customers. In these roles, he has worked with customers to drive growth with a strong partnership approach that drives value through delivery of new business projects, innovative solutions and increasingly a focus on sustainability programs.
Dirk has a degree in Strategic Management at IVA Business School and specialised in Lean Management and Marketing.
RAUF BADEJO
Group Chief Supply Chain Officer
Rauf is a Supply chain and logistics professional, with extensive experience in multinational FMCG and logistics companies across West Africa. Prior to joining GZI, he held many executive leadership positions in Maersk, Hayat Kimya and Perfetti Van Melle and held senior roles in PZ Cussons, Nestle and others.
He is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), UK, with Master’s Degree in Supply Chain & logistics management from the University of Warwick, UK; Bachelors degree in Industrial and production Engineering from University of Ibadan, Nigeria; Micromaster in Supply Chain management from MITx and management programs from Lagos Business School, Nigeria