Gareth Penny

Educated at Diocesan College in Cape Town and at Eton College, Gareth was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, graduating with a Masters in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Gareth is married to Kate and they have two children.

Gareth is non-Executive Chairman of Norilsk Nickel, or Nornickel, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium and a leading producer of platinum and copper. MMC Norilsk Nickel, the largest diversified mining and metals company in Russia, is listed on the Moscow Exchange. Gareth is Chairman of Ninety One Plc and Ninety One Ltd. Management, a business managing over £110 billions for clients based all over the world.[1] For twelve years until April 2019, Gareth was a non-Executive Director and RemCo Chairman of Julius Bär Holding Limited, Switzerland's leading, dedicated wealth manager. He also serves on the Senior Advisory Board of TowerBrook Capital Partners (TCP), a New York and London based investment firm.[2][3]

In 2016 Gareth was awarded Russian Chairman of the Year, with particular reference to his contribution to improvements in corporate governance.

Gareth was voted Person of the Year in 2003, by the authoritative jewellery industry magazine JCK (Jewelers Circular Keystone), and holds Honorary Life Membership of the London Diamond Bourse and Club. On numerous occasions he has been included in the publication "South Africa's Leading Business Managers".</ref>

Gareth has worked in various forms of mining over the past three decades, and for 22 years he was with De Beers and Anglo American plc, the last five of which he was Group CEO of De Beers.[4] During his tenure, Gareth was instrumental in reshaping not only the world’s largest diamond company, but also the diamond industry. He was the prime architect in the change to the De Beers business model, which replaced over 100 years of supply-side management in the rough diamond business, with demand-driven initiatives that have generated significant value creation for the company and the diamond industry. For four years between 2012 and May 2016, Gareth Penny was executive chairman of New World Resources (NWR), one of Europe’s largest hard coal producers.[5]