Our people

Irene Charnley is a successful seasoned businesswoman and social entrepreneur with hands on experience in business and the telecommunications sector.

She is Independent Chairman of Gibela Rail Transport Consortium, the largest passenger rail manufacturer in SA and Africa. Board member of International Women’s Forum (“IWF”), a global organisation of 8000 pre-eminent women leaders across 33 countries. She is immediate past President of International Women’s Forum South Africa, (“IWFSA”), the SA chapter of IWF global.

Irene is the co-Founder and former shareholder/CEO/deputy Chairman of Smile Telecoms (“Smile”), a Pan-African telecommunications group established in 2007, with broadband operations in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and a presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”). Smile was the first operator in Africa to successfully roll out and operationalise a broadband network infrastructure using 800MHz spectrum.

Prior to establishing Smile, Irene was instrumental, as Executive Director, in transforming MTN Group into one of the most pre-eminent Telecom’s operators in the Middle East and Africa region, through several license and company acquisitions. She also led the management and staff buy-in of 18.7% in MTN, which was an entrepreneurial initiative independent of MTN and saw thousands of MTN employees benefit from the structure at the time.

As an Executive Director at Johnnic Industrial Corporation, (the majority shareholder of MCell/MTN at the time) and the lead negotiator of several successful transactions, Irene led the transformation of the Corporation, from an industrial conglomerate into a focused media and telecoms Group. These transactions led to the reverse listing of MTN (formerly known as MCell). Irene further spear-headed one of the early broad based black empowerment schemes in SA, called the Ikageng Scheme in which 32 000 ordinary South Africans participated and received 400% return on their initial deposit.

During her business career, Irene served on numerous Listed and Unlisted Company Board.

Irene’s successful business career was preceded as a trade unionist and key negotiator for the National Union of Mineworkers.

Martin Vaujour has been appointed President of Alstom’s Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia (AMECA) region, effective June 1, 2025. A dynamic and seasoned leader, Martin brings over two decades of international experience and a deep understanding of complex, multicultural environments — particularly across Central Asia and Africa.

He began his career in 1999 at Arthur Andersen (now EY), working as an external auditor and consultant for major industrial and civil engineering companies. In 2009, he joined Alstom and relocated to Moscow, where he held a series of key roles in finance and general management. His ability to adapt quickly and lead with impact led him to oversee the Russia-CIS region as a member of Alstom’s Executive Committee.

From 2016 to 2020, Martin expanded his global perspective further as CEO of TMH-International. In this role, he led business development initiatives across Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia — gaining valuable insights into markets that now fall under his leadership at Alstom. He rejoined Alstom’s headquarters in 2020 to manage the remedies process during the Bombardier Transportation acquisition, before taking on responsibility for M&A and Investor Relations.

A graduate of ESCP Business School in Paris, Martin is based in Paris with his wife and their four children. Known for his energy, adaptability, and strategic mindset, he brings both professionalism and approachability to every challenge.

Max is a qualified Chartered Accountant (South Africa) and has over 20 years’ experience in international and local finance, corporate finance and investment banking. Max is an investment principal and finance executive at Identity Partners, an investor in established and growing business spanning across critical sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and finance. Max also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of uBumbano Operating Company, a manufacturer of electrical harnesses and components within the rail, automotive and related sectors.

Max has had prior roles within financial services at Standard Bank, Barclays, Swiss Re and Deutsche Bank, and completed his articles at PwC South Africa. Max serves on the board of York Timbers Limited and is a non-executive director and shareholder representative on various Identity Partners’ investment companies’ boards and executive committees.

Mokganyetsi is the founding director of specialist monitoring and evaluation consultancy firm, Uweso Consulting, and Genorah Resources, an emerging black mining company that was previously the majority shareholder in Australian Stock Exchange-listed Nkwe Platinum.

She has more than 30 years of experience in education management, e-learning, strategic planning, as well as stakeholder and human resource management. She is also a member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa. Mokganyetsi has served on the boards of the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance and the Gauteng Institute of Education Development and Management.

Tristan joined Alstom as assistant to the senior auditor in 2004. He served as vice president: internal audit and internal control for three years before becoming vice president: finance, Middle East and Africa in 2019. During the audit and control tenure, Alstom’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index score soared to 86/100 on risk and crisis management (versus a peer average of 56/100).

Vice President, Finance, Africa, Middle East & Central Asia (AMECA) Region at Alstom.

During her first five years in Alstom, Mrs Carlot worked 4 years as VP Treasury and Financing and 1 year as VP Finance for the Digital and Integrated Systems business, always with global responsibilities. Before joining Alstom in 2019, Mrs Carlot held various executive positions in Financing, Finance Risk management and Controlling in the Total (oil & gas) and Accor (hosting) groups. Between 2014 and 2019, when working for Total, she was board member of several oil storage joint ventures in France.

Prior to her corporate experience, she worked 5 years in mergers & acquisitions for Macquarie Capital in London, UK.

Mrs Carlot brings 20 years of experience in Finance and a strong expertise in financing, treasury and controlling. Throughout her career, Mrs Carlot has demonstrated agility and leadership in international organizations.

Previously group chief financial officer of the City of Johannesburg, Reggie joined Gibela as chief financial officer in June 2018 with experience in finance that spans over 20 years. Reggie has held various positions, including group financial director at a financial services company. He has served in executive roles and at board level in both the public and private sectors.

Dr Buyiswa Mncono-Liwani is a seasoned Executive with more than 20 years management experience in all aspects of economic development and stakeholder management which includes localisation, government relations and advocacy, enterprise development and social investment in different industries. She has occupied senior positions in multinational companies such a Sasol Mining, Sasol Oil and Shell SA.

In December 2013 she joined Gibela as the Economic Development Executive who is responsible for directing all aspects of Economic Development Programme such as local content, rail-related skills development and Broad-Based Economic Development. In Jan 2021 she was appointed as the Corporate Services and Traction Motors Operations Executive. Her scope was increased to include Communications and Traction Motors Operations, she oversees the day-to-day operation of the tractions motors manufacturing business.

Dr. Buyiswa Mncono-Liwani holds a Doctor of Philosophy in the Management of Technology and Innovation from Da Vinci Institute, Modderfontein, SA

Junior Lechaba currently serves as the Rolling Stock Operation Executive (Acting) at Gibela Rail, having previously held the position of Head of Manufacturing for two years. Junior is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in manufacturing and quality management within the automotive and rail sectors. He has a proven track record of enhancing operational efficiency and driving quality improvements in production processes.

Junior completed his National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Nelson Mandela University in 2003 and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution in 2015. In March 2021, he furthered his education by completing a Senior Management Development Programme at the University of Stellenbosch. Additionally, he has acquired several certifications, including an Advanced Quality Management Program in Germany, where he was certified by TüV as a Quality Representative.

With over ten years of management experience in manufacturing, Junior has worked both locally and internationally, including significant roles at Volkswagen Group Africa, where he held various positions, such as Production Unit Head and QA Manager. In these roles, he was responsible for overseeing assembly processes, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and implementing Lean Manufacturing strategies to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

In his current role at Gibela, Junior leads operational strategies to optimize rolling stock processes. He collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure safety and quality standards are met while driving continuous improvement initiatives. His leadership style emphasizes coaching and developing employees, which fosters a culture of learning and adaptability within the team.

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Junior is married and actively participates in community initiatives aimed at education and skills development. His commitment to excellence and continuous improvement makes him a valuable asset to the rail transportation industry.

Vuyiswa Tlomatsane is an award winning civil engineering and operations executive with over two decades of experience delivering complex transport infrastructure and leading large-scale service operations. She began her career at BKS (now AECOM), where she developed strong technical foundations in transport modelling, road and bridge design, and traffic impact assessments, before progressing into senior leadership roles in commuter rail and mass transit systems.

She has a proven track record in delivering high-profile infrastructure programmes for key public-sector clients, including the Department of Transport, the City of Johannesburg, and the Johannesburg Development Agency. In 2016, she joined Gibela as Construction Director, where she led the delivery of a state-of-the-art train manufacturing plant—an achievement that earned her the Women in Transport Award (2018).

As a member of Gibela’s Executive Committee and Services Operations Executive, she provides strategic leadership of the technical services contract, with accountability for customer technical support, spares supply, services industrial and engineering, supply chain, depot operations, quality, EHS, and overall business unit performance. She has been instrumental in expanding Gibela’s services footprint into the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, enabling the organisation to manage and monitor nearly 200 trains in daily commercial service across three provinces. She also led the establishment of a components service centre in Midrand, further strengthening long-term operational resilience and sustainability. She was recognised by the Black Management Forum as Manager of the Year (2024) for her leadership in services operations.

Convey is an admitted attorney of the Republic of South Africa, a member of the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa and registered with the Southern African Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

He started his career in corporate and property law, then moved into advisory positions, drafting legislation for the government, and also enjoyed a corporate career with an American manufacturing firm as a senior legal and contracts counsel and company secretary. He serviced developing and emerging markets before joining Gibela’s executive committee in September 2017.

Thandi Nhlapo holds an MBA from North-West University, a BCom from the University of the Witwatersrand, with further executive training in Project Management from Cranefield College. 

Thandi’s experience spans over 20 years across the energy, petroleum, telecommunications, retail, construction, and engineering sectors in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. She has held senior management positions with leading organisations amongst others MTN, BP, TotalEnergies, and Coriant GmbH. 

Throughout her career, Thandi has led enterprise-wide procurement transformation, business improvement, and strategic initiatives, transforming procurement functions into value-driven operations through strengthened operating models, optimise sourcing strategies, procurement technology enablement, improved supplier performance, and sustainable business outcomes. 

Her expertise spans strategic sourcing, procure-to-pay transformation, procurement digitization, compliance, ESG, supplier development, and driving procurement excellence. She has advised organisations on procurement strategy, governance, risk management, and enhancing business performance. Thandi has served on various boards and governance committees, providing oversight across audit, risk, ethics, compliance, and business transformation. 

Soraya is a qualified and registered Professional Quantity Surveyor with more than 30 years’ experience on Mining and Engineering Projects, within South Africa as well as abroad. Her experience allowed her the capability to provide and support the project team and the customer / client with sound commercial and contractual management, advice and negotiation strategies, dispute and claims mitigation & resolution, and compilation of procurement policies & procedures. Based on her training and experience imparted over the years, she has successfully managed and grown business units based on sound business and corporate governance, including HR management and financial accountability.

Kululwa Nodwengu is a Chartered Accountant with over 19 years of finance experience — more than ten of which have been spent building her career at Gibela Rail Transport Consortium. Her journey within Gibela is exceptional in its scope and progression: joining as Cost Controller in February 2015, she became Business Controller, then Finance Manager leading a team of over 10 finance professionals, and was appointed Acting CFO in December 2025. She is, in the most direct sense, a CFO who was built by Gibela and who has built Gibela's finance function alongside it.

Ms Nodwengu has been present at and integral to every significant financial milestone in Gibela's history: the construction and initial delivery phase, the implementation of the hedge strategy, the development of cash forecast systems for financing and stakeholder communication, the automation of SAP (GSI) reporting into Teranga, and the quantification of the customer claim for site hand-over delays. She does not merely understand the business's financial architecture — she built much of it.

As Acting CFO since December 2025, she provides executive leadership to the Board and Exco on financial strategy, liquidity, governance, risk and business performance — demonstrating in practice the full scope of the CFO mandate. Her current MBA studies at the UCT Graduate School of Business and completion of GIBS's International Executive Leadership Programme signal a professional who is simultaneously leading the business and investing in her strategic development. She is a CA(SA) who has consistently achieved unqualified audit outcomes, maintained strong governance standards and led with integrity throughout a decade of demanding financial stewardship.