FOUNDERS
Driving ongoing investment
with a combined experience of
32 years in business
Ellington Nxumalo Chief Executive Offcer (CEO) and Co-Founder
Ellington is currently focused on identifying and leveraging new combinations of opportunities in Southern Africa’s resources sector, by encouraging and driving ongoing investment. With over 17 years’ operational and commercial experience in coal and general resource exploration, his deep and diverse knowledge of the coal value chain - and the human and environmental ecosystems that support it – includes coal beneficiation, trade, and global sales and supply. Key roles throughout Ellington’s career include working as CEO of Ahazwino Projects, where he focused on resource feasibility studies, debt sourcing and empowerment funding, and as Commercial Director of Uyazi Coal Holdings (a position he held for over 15 years).
Ellington has a passion for building broadly inclusive, and commercially sound, resource businesses that drive sustainable growth and social transformation. His aptitude for innovating and optimising business processes, unites successful financial and risk management with a proven track record of stakeholder relationship building; positioning Ellington as a trusted adviser to a string of large mining players, including BHP Billiton (now South32), Vitol and Glencore.
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Aubrey Chauke Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Co-Founder
BCom Honours Degree in Accounting
National Diploma in Accounting
Aubrey has over 16 years’ experience in the financial management of complex integrated coal projects. His vast operational expertise developed relationship network, and nuanced understanding of South Africa’s rapidly changing legislative and political environments, have been fundamental in successfully growing Lurco from a niche coal supplier to a diversified integrated global commodities group. Prior to founding Lurco, Aubrey established his own consulting firm, Lenani Consulting, supporting government institutions with financial consulting services that included energy supply and planning. Before this, he worked at Gobodo Incorporated as an audit manager, focusing largely on government briefs, and at PKF as an accounts clerk.
Aubrey is an advocate of the strategic role mining can play in the development of inclusive economies and sustainable and empowered communities. His diverse skill set and operational knowledge in auditing, procurement, asset and risk management, capital raising, trading, strategic planning and business development were built over a period of extreme change – and huge volatility – in the South African and global coal sector.
Aubrey is a registered member of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA).