ERM has appointed Marinda van der Merwe as Managing Partner for the newly-created Africa and Middle East Business Unit.
She will have overall responsibility for the commercial and operational aspects of business in all of Africa and Middle East.
“The new opportunity allows me to strengthen our relationship with clients in Africa and position ERM as a leading sustainability company. It will certainly be a challenge, but I am looking forward to it. The appointment comes at a good time looking at current trends,” says van der Merwe.
Van der Merwe joined ERM in 2009 as the Partner in charge of the Mining Sector for Europe, Middle East and Africa. She was appointed as Managing Partner in June 2015. Rasmussen is passionate about sustainable development and has been a champion for the environment.
Van der Merwe firmly believes that environmental issues are economic issues painted green; and they represent hidden opportunities. “Once corporate decision-makers become aware of this, benefits accrue for both investors and communities,” she says.
In her view, it is important at a time of corporate and governmental belt-tightening to achieve broader awareness of the cost efficiency implicit in holistic risk assessment.
Van der Merwe has over 18 years of environmental consulting and corporate experience in sustainable development, performance assurance and due diligence auditing, water and waste management, mine closure planning, and safety improvement. She is recognised as a leader in sustainable development, notably in the mining sector in Africa, where she has worked with global multinationals on projects ranging from early stage development through to operations and closure.
