Khotso Mokhele, the newly appointed Chairman of Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats), joined the Board of Implats as an Independent Non-Executive Director in 2004.
After matriculating at Moroka High School in Thaba Nchu, the province of the Free State, South Africa, Khotso Mokhele completed a BSc (Agriculture) degree at the University of Fort Hare. He later continued his studies as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar at the University of California in the United States where he obtained an MSc (Food Science) and a PhD in Microbiology. This was followed by post-doctoral fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, in the United States. He later completed the Stanford Executive Programme at Stanford University.
Between 1987 and 1996, Khotso Mokhele held academic positions at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Cape Town before joining the Foundation for Research Development (which later became the National Research Foundation) in 1996 where he became the Vice President and later President and Chief Executive Officer until 2006. He also served in a senior advisory capacity at numerous academic, scientific and professional bodies and institutions. This included serving as Chairman of the National Skills Authority from 2005 to 2007.
In addition to his chairmanship of Implats, Khotso is also currently non-executive chairman of Adcock Ingram Holdings Limited and a non-executive director of both African Oxygen Limited and Tiger Brands Limited. He recently tendered his resignation as non-executive chairman of ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited.
Special awards received by Khotso include the French Legion of Honour (Chevalier) and several honorary doctorates from institutions in South Africa and the USA.
