Ian Cockerill

Ian David Cockerill (born 4 August 1954 in Romford, England) is a geologist and mining engineer. Cockerill started his mining career in South Africa in 1975 after completing his Bachelor of Science in Geology at Chelsea College of Science and Technology. He later completed his Master of Science in Mining-Mineral Production Management at the Royal School of Mines, a Management Development Programme at the University of South Africa, and an Advanced Management Programme at Templeton College, Oxford.

Ian Cockerill
Cockerill in 2015
Born (1954-08-04) 4 August 1954
Romford, England
CitizenshipBritish (permanent South African Residency)
Alma materChelsea College of Science and Technology
Royal School of Mines
Templeton College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Geologist and Mining Engineer
Known forMining and global resources
SpouseIona Beverley Heinemann (m. 1978)
Children3

Business career

In 1975, Cockerill began work in Welkom South Africa at the Union Corporation. His career with the Anglo American plc Group began in 1979 when he joined De Beers as technical assistant at Kleinzee diamond operations in Port Nolloth. After a period in the United Kingdom at Minorco’s Technical Director's Office, Cockerill returned to South Africa on transfer to the gold division of Anglo American Corporation, later AngloGold Ltd, as Manager of Elandsrand and Western Deep Levels West Mine (1992 to 1996). Between 1996 and 1999, Cockerill was Executive Director (Business Development) and Executive Officer (African International Operations) of AngloGold Limited. In 1999, Cockerill became Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Gold Fields Limited, and in 2002 he was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Gold Fields Ltd. In June 2008, Cockerill rejoined Anglo American plc as Chief Executive Officer (Anglo Coal), responsible for all global operations until retiring from that position in 2009. Cockerill was Executive Chairman (2009 to 2015) and Chairman (2015 to 2017) of Petmin Limited, South Africa's leading producer of metallurgical anthracite.

Controversies and awards

In October 2004, while Cockerill was CEO, rival mining company Harmony Gold Mining Company launched an aggressive hostile takeover bid for Goldfields Ltd. Cockerill led a spirited defence against the takeover bid, indicating that the proposed transaction would result in labour retrenchments and a substantial lessening of competition in the South African and global gold mining industry. Harmony Gold’s hostile bid was defeated in May 2005.[1][2] The hostile takeover bid, and Cockerill's role in defending Goldfields from the takeover, became the subject of the controversial non-fiction text "Battlefields of Gold:How Gold Fields Fought for Survival and Won" by Rex Gibson (Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2012)[3]

In October 2009, Cockerill was forced out of his position as CEO of Anglo Coal in a management cull carried out by Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll.[4] Carroll had handpicked him for the job in April 2008, when he moved from his previous position as CEO of Gold Fields.[5][6] Speculation in the global financial and mining press was that Cockerill was axed because he was a threat to Carroll’s position.[7][8]

In November 2007, Cockerill was named South Africa's 2007 Leading Manager.[9][10]

Conservation

As founding Chairman of the non-profit organisation Leadership for Conservation in Africa (2006 to 2016), Cockerill was engaged in promoting conservation and sustainable development across the African continent in partnership with the South African National Parks Board, global business leaders and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.[11]

South African Mining Hall of Fame

On 3 October 2017 Cockerill was inducted into the South African Mining Hall of Fame at the 2017 Mining Indaba in Johannesburg, South Africa.[12][13]

References
  1. "The story of a bitter battle". Leader SA. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  2. David MacKay (8 February 2007). "Fighting Cockerill: He nearly lost his job, but now no fund can afford to ignore him". FinWeek(English Edition). Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  3. Rex Gibson (2012). "Battlefields of Gold:How Goldfields Fought for Survival and Won". Jonathan Ball Publishers. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  4. "Ian Cockerill out at Anglo". MoneyWeb. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  5. Matthew Hill (8 April 2008). "Cockerill takes top Anglo Coal job, Dlamini is Anglo's new SA chief". Creamer’s Media Mining Weekly. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  6. Tessa Kruger (8 April 2008). "Cockerill to transform Anglo Coal, says Anglo American". MoneyWeb. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  7. Brendan Ryan (23 October 2009). "Watch your back at Anglo". MiningMX. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  8. Alec Hogg; Barry Sergeant (22 October 2009). "Anglo American streamlines business; Ian Cockerill to go; Fred Roux sacked - Day of the long knives at Anglo and Impala". Moneyweb Power Hour. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  9. "Ian Cockerill, CEO of Gold Fields, named SA's 2007 Leading Manager". Biz Community. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  10. Matthew Hill (7 December 2007). "Mining executives rank among SA's top managers". Mining Weekly. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  11. "Media Release: Ground Breaking Leadership for Conservation in Africa Launched". South African national PArks Board. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  12. Fraser Alexander (Pty) Ltd. (3 October 2017). "Fraser Alexander (Pty) Ltd congratulates 2017 inductees into Joburg Indaba SA Mining Hall of Fame". Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  13. Martin Creamer (3 October 2017). "Chamber criticised for no-show at Joburg Indaba gala dinner". Creamer Media's Mining Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
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