Orion Minerals has appointed Stephen Rowse interim chief financial officer, effective October 22, 2026. He succeeds Peet van Coller, who is leaving after three and a half years with the group. The announcement, published on October 21, comes as the company continues developing copper and zinc projects in South Africa’s Northern Cape province.
The transition is being organized without an announced finance leadership vacancy: Orion says Rowse takes over immediately and a recruitment firm has been appointed to find a permanent successor. The company says the search is progressing and has attracted strong interest. However, it has specified neither a timetable for the permanent appointment nor a reason for van Coller’s departure.
A finance professional with mining experience
Stephen Rowse is a chartered accountant with more than twenty years of experience in senior finance roles. His background notably includes responsibility for finance and administration at MC Mining, listed in Johannesburg, Sydney and London’s AIM market. Until recently, he also served as chief financial officer of Johannesburg-listed Sail Mining Group.
This experience in mining companies and across several stock markets fits the needs of a group managing development projects while meeting investor and market authority requirements. A finance function must ensure sound accounts and controls, but also track development expenditure, assess capital requirements and clearly communicate risks associated with technical milestones.
Chief Executive Tony Lennox thanked van Coller for his contribution to the company’s finance function and reporting. He presented Rowse’s arrival as a means of maintaining continuity during the search for a permanent executive, drawing on his mining and international market experience. Orion says it wants to recruit someone capable of supporting its next development phase.
Two projects still under development
Orion is working on the Prieska copper-zinc project and the Okiep copper project, both in the Northern Cape. The company presents them as assets to advance toward mine development. This stage requires particular financial discipline: expenditure precedes operating revenue, while investment decisions must rely on consistent studies, permits, infrastructure and financing.
The CFO change does not itself alter these projects’ schedules or parameters. The announcement reports no revision to their plans. Rather, it comes at a time when the company’s ability to coordinate financial resources with technical milestones remains central. The permanent appointment will therefore be an indicator to monitor, alongside future communications on studies and progress at Prieska and Okiep.
Financial continuity as a governance issue
At a developing mining company, the chief financial officer’s role extends beyond producing accounts. It includes cash planning, dialogue with lenders and shareholders, and oversight of project commitments. The interim appointment aims to preserve these functions during the transition. Its duration and the clarity of recruitment will matter to stakeholders, especially if asset development accelerates.
Orion says the permanent role is attracting applicants and the process is advancing. However, the company has not described the profile sought beyond the experience and skills needed to support its projects. For the market, the next step will be learning when the board will make its choice and how the appointee will fit the group’s financing and development strategy.
Rowse’s appointment provides an immediate operational solution and experience already grounded in mining. It does not predetermine future project results, but places continuity of financial controls at the center of the transition. Handover quality, succession transparency and the ability to link expenditure with technical progress will provide concrete measures for assessing what follows.
The interim period will also allow the quality of the handover between the two executives to be assessed. A structured transition must preserve knowledge of financial commitments, control procedures and partner exchanges. Orion has not detailed these arrangements. However, having an executive in place the day after the announcement reduces the risk of an immediate vacancy in a function essential to monitoring operations.
For industry observers, the issue therefore extends beyond the interim appointee’s résumé. It concerns the company’s ability to maintain regular financial information during recruitment, connect expenditure with development milestones and explain financing decisions. Confirmation of a permanent CFO will provide greater visibility on medium-term financial governance. Until then, the board and management must demonstrate an orderly succession that does not obscure announced project schedules.