DRA Global Limited announced the appointment of Mr. James Smith as Chief Executive Officer (`CEO'), effective on 13 October 2022. James has been acting as Interim CEO since March 2022. James is a highly experienced and qualified executive with more than 25 years' experience in the mining, industrial and financial sectors.

Originally a process engineer in the mining industry, James has since held various consulting, investment advisory and operational leadership positions. He has extensive experience in strategy development and execution, operational excellence, mergers and acquisitions, and organizational leadership within the mining and industrial sectors. In 2018 James was appointed Executive Vice President of Minopex, DRA's operations and maintenance services business, where he successfully drove DRA's diversification strategy into mechanised mining and advisory services, and oversaw the expansion of Minopex across the EMEA region.

Since 2021, James has also been responsible for overseeing DRA's growth in new offerings such as Advisory, Digital and Sustainability services. Before joining DRA, James held leadership roles within management consulting, private equity and various mid-sized industrial, manufacturing and distribution businesses in Southern Africa. James holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemical Engineering) (cum laude) from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.