Project developers

Philip Bouwer – CEO

BA LLB

The founder and CEO of Mabele Fuels, Philip is an experienced entrepreneur and businessman, having exposure at a Senior Executive level to a number of diverse and dynamic industries. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Waterford Holdings, which launched the first investment derivative in the carbon credit market, and is the current Chairman of BLNS Ltd.

Having trained as an attorney and practiced with Arthur Andersen as a Tax and Business Law consultant, he has subsequently been exposed at a senior executive level to the renewable energy and carbon economy, manufacturing, travel and tourism, information technology and new media, retail, and financial services sectors. Through this broad business exposure, he has established an excellent rapport with a network of senior executives and colleagues in a diverse set of local and international industries.

Markus Granlund – CFO and COO

MSc Economics

Markus has been involved with Mabele Fuels for the past 14 years. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Carmanor Limited, a UK-incorporated agricultural venture with operations in Sierra Leone.

Markus started his career in M&A at investment bank Greenhill & Co in London. In 2008, he co-founded the Dubai-based, Africa-focused independent corporate finance advisory boutique Rockbury Capital, through which he advised corporates across a wide range of industries, including renewable energy and mining, on strategic matters such as M&A, project financing, and corporate restructurings.

He holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Michael de Boer – Senior Accountant

BCom Financial Accounting

A chartered accountant by profession, Michael has extensive experience as a corporate director and financial manager across South Africa, Mauritius, and the United Kingdom, spanning the financial services, renewable energy, and property sectors.

Across various senior management positions, Michael has overseen and delivered on company structuring and restructuring, investment structuring, corporate finance, budgeting and reporting, financial audits, financial services licensing, compliance, and project management. He has been an integral part of the Mabele Fuels team since 2011.

Prieur du Plessis – Agricultural Consultant

BCom Accounting

Prieur has over 25 years’ experience in private capital, asset management, banking, and commodity trading. Within the agricultural commodity sector, he has overseen the establishment of a major crop insurance business, and managed structured trade and commodity finance, as well as the restructuring of the largest agricultural production scheme in South Africa.

As founding partner and Chief Investment Officer of Barak Fund Management, he subsequently led the buyout of the firm, exiting in 2022.

Within Mabele Fuels, Prieur manages agricultural procurement and the commodity hedging strategy.

Nic Haussamer – Consultant

MPhil Mathematical Finance

Nic is a Technical member of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (TASSA), with a postgraduate degree in mathematical finance. His research in this field includes the application of machine learning to solving problems in institutional derivatives trading and hedging. More broadly, his focus includes the development and application of blockchain technology.

He consults to Mabele Fuels across a variety of areas requiring data analysis, including commodity price analysis and modelling, and also has a particular focus on project insurance structuring.