Tommie van der Walt

Tommie van der Walt serves as the Chief Projects Officer at Arafura Rare Earths Limited since February 2025, following a role as Chief Operating Officer at Ionic Rare Earths Limited from June 2023 to March 2025. Prior experience includes serving as General Manager for Exploration, Studies & Projects at Lubambe Copper Mine Limited under EMR Capital, where leadership was provided in the development of the Lubambe Extension Project. From January 2011 to December 2017, Tommie held the position of Regional Project Director for Africa at Newmont Mining Corporation, overseeing projects including the Ahafo gold mega-project. Earlier roles at Newmont included Project Director and Study Director. Tommie's career began at AngloGold Ashanti as Engineering Manager, progressing through various mine engineering roles. Educational qualifications include a Master's degree in Business Management from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town and a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration from North-West University.