Petra Diamonds Limited - Board and Senior Management Changes
PR Newswire
LONDON, United Kingdom, November 28
28 November 2025 | LSE: PDL |
Petra Diamonds Limited
(" Petra", or the " Company")
Board and Senior Management Changes
Petra today announces a series of changes to the Company's Board following the Company's recent Annual General Meeting (the " AGM"), held on 27 November 2025, and the appointment of Vivek Gadodia and Juan Kemp as permanent Joint Chief Executive Officers of the Company.
Appointment of new Non-Executive Director
Following shareholder approval of Resolution 9 at the AGM, Mr Kushal Kumar was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director of the Company with immediate effect.
Mr Kumar has over 30 years' experience in the international financial markets across Investment Management, Credit Markets and Corporate Banking. This included Lehman Brothers in London (European Credit Markets, April 2001- January 2008), JP Morgan & Bank of America in Hong Kong (Asian Bond and Loan markets, 1997-2001) and American Express Bank in India (Corporate Banking for India and Indonesia, 1993-1997).
In 2008, he co-founded Numen Capital LLP which managed investments into European Special Situations and co-managed this until 2015 when he sold his stake in the business. Additionally, he operates as a private investor where he is engaged either as a board member and/or as an active shareholder at several UK/European early-stage companies across challenger banks and IP-based engineering ventures being spun out of UK universities.
He is currently active on the advisory board for UK-based asset managers and a UHNWI family office. He is also involved in developing and growing an algorithmic oriented business for Investment Management into liquid asset classes.
Mr Kumar is also a member of the Kyma Capital Limited Advisory Board. Kyma Capital is a major holder of both the Company's bonds and shares, and therefore by virtue of his role at Kyma Capital, Mr Kumar is not considered independent.
Departure of Bernard Pryor and Alex Watson
As announced on 20 November 2025, Bernard Pryor, Senior Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees has resigned in order to focus time on his executive roles.
Alex Watson has stepped down from the Board in her role as Board Observer.
As a result of these changes, new appointments will be made as below:
- Senior Independent Non-Executive Director: With effect from 27 November 2025 Lerato Molebatsi is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
- Remuneration Committee Chair: With effect from 27 November 2025 José Manuel Vargas is Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
- Nomination Committee Chair: With effect from 27 November 2025 José Manuel Vargas is Chair of the Nomination Committee.
Appointment of Vivek Gadodia and Juan Kemp as Joint Chief Executive Officers
Having taken on the role of joint interim Chief Executive Officers in February of this year, Vivek Gadodia and Juan Kemp will continue in their roles in a permanent capacity, with Vivek focusing on the corporate side of the business, and Juan on operations. They have not been appointed as Directors of the Company and will continue to report to the Board on a regular basis
José Manuel Vargas,Non-Executive Chair of Petra Diamonds commented:
"I would like to welcome Kushal to the Board of Petra; we believe his experience and skill set will complement those of our existing Directors as we look to take the Company forward.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Bernie for his contributions and the insight he has provided from his extensive mining and resource experience in the variety of positions he held on the Board over the last six years. We wish him the very best for the future.
I would also like to thank Alex, whose input between July 2021 and December 2023 as a Non-Executive Director was highly valued as the Company navigated several challenges, and who continued to provide valuable guidance as a Board Observer from December 2023 to date. We wish her all the best.
Lastly, we are very pleased to have secured stability at the helm of the Company with the permanent positions of Vivek Gadodia and Juan Kemp as Joint Chief Executive Officers. We look forward to working with them as we look towards the delivery of our next strategic targets."
Vivek Gadodia and Juan Kemp,Joint Chief Executive Officers of Petra Diamonds commented:
"Over the last nine months we have delivered a streamlined, more resilient business as we looked to execute the refinancing of the Company. We look forward to steering the Company on a permanent basis as we continue our focus on the execution of our extension projects as we look to unlock value for our stakeholders in the short to medium term.
We will continue to report to the Board on a regular basis. We would like to thank both Bernie and Alex for their continued support and insights as we have navigated this difficult period, and look forward to working with the Board in its new structure and with the addition of Kushal Kumar's experience"
~ Ends ~
For further information, please contact:
Petra Diamonds, London
Julia Stone
Kelsey Traynor
Telephone: +44 (0)7495470187
investorrelations@petradiamonds.com
About Petra Diamonds Limited
Petra Diamonds is a leading independent diamond mining group and a supplier of gem quality rough diamonds to the international market. The Company's portfolio incorporates interests in two underground mines in South Africa (Cullinan Mine and Finsch).
Petra's strategy is to focus on value rather than volume production by optimising recoveries from its high-quality asset base in order to maximise their efficiency and profitability. The Group has a significant resource base which supports the potential for long-life operations.
Petra strives to conduct all operations according to the highest ethical standards and only operates in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. The Company aims to generate tangible value for each of its stakeholders, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of its host countries and supporting long-term sustainable operations to the benefit of its employees, partners and communities.
Petra's Ordinary Shares are admitted to the equity shares (commercial companies) category of the FCA's Official List and are admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker "PDL". The Company's loan notes, due in 2026, are listed on Euronext Dublin (Irish Stock Exchange). For more information, visit www.petradiamonds.com.
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