Coal miner MC Mining has appointed Jianheng Deng (Albert) as nonexecutive director, effective October 15, following the resignation of Brian He Zhen.

Following MC Mining’s continued positive progress in implementing the investment by Kinetic Development Group (KDG), the company says it has completed its next phase of governance restructure to ensure the group benefits from an increasing pool of expertise on the board and alignment with the group's new strategic direction.

MC Mining says Zhen served the company through a number of key milestones.

This includes obtaining all regulatory approvals for the Makhado steelmaking hard coking coal project, in Limpopo, to begin operations; and corporate action culminating in the investment by KDG, better positioning MC Mining to achieve its stated objective of becoming South Africa's pre-eminent steelmaking hard coking coal producer.

Additionally, the company says Zhen has also provided invaluable input as a member of the MC Mining safety, health, environment and technical committee.

"We thank Brian for his work with MC Mining over the past seven years. His strategic mindset, work ethic and integrity in his contributions to the Board have been critical in maintaining high standards of governance at the company. We wish him well in his future endeavours,” says MC Mining interim chairperson Mathews Senosi.

The company notes that Deng brings extensive experience across finance, investment and legal disciplines.

He is currently chairperson of KDG's South Africa International Logistics and Transportation company, where he has overseen the establishment and management of mining engineering and logistics operations in the region.

Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, the company says he brings a combination of international commercial expertise and governance experience that will further strengthen the board's capabilities.

"The board welcomes Albert who will add significant depth to the skills available to the company.

“His financial background and extensive experience in cross border enterprise management and corporate action will be invaluable, particularly given his knowledge of both the African and Hong Kong markets. We look forward to his contribution to the future success of the company,” says Senosi.