Mcebisi Jonas

Chairman

Mcebisi Jonas was elected as the new Chairman of the Puma Energy Foundation in April 2024. Until recently, he served as a Presidential Economic Envoy, appointed by President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa to support government in its efforts to attract direct investment into the country. His political career includes roles as Deputy Minister of Finance and a Member of Parliament for the Republic of South Africa from 2014 to 2017. During this time, he helped steer the nation’s economy through what was considered one of its most difficult post-democratic periods. As Executive Chairman of Ntiso Investment Holdings that he founded in 2019 and concurrently serving as Chairperson of the Board of MTN Group, as well as a non-executive director for companies like Northam Platinum Holdings and The Nimble Group, Mcebisi brings extensive leadership experience to our Foundation. Mcebisi also chaired the Public Investment Corporation and held provincial ministerial positions in the Eastern Cape, fostering development initiatives. A prominent anti-apartheid activist, he co-founded the United Democratic Front and played a crucial role in ANC structures. Recently, he has been a vocal advocate against state capture and corruption.

Rhibetnan Yaktal

Member

Rhibetnan Yaktal is the Global Head of Compliance at Puma Energy. She joined the Board in November 2023.

Jose Antonio Alfaro

Member

Jose Antonio Alfaro serves as Retail Manager for Central America at Puma Energy. He joined the Board in November 2023.

Andrew Vickerman

Vice Chairman

Andrew has been a member of the Trafigura supervisory board since 2010. He has been heavily involved with community work in developing countries throughout his career and held overall responsibility for various foundations and community trusts while with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s leading mining companies.

Jamie Torrance

Member

Jamie is Global Head of Distillates & Biofuels at Trafigura. He joined the Board of the Puma Energy Foundation in 2022 to advise the Foundation on its philanthropic activities.

Dario Soto Abril

Executive Director

A native from Colombia, Dario has more than 25 years of experience leading international organisations focusing on social and economic inclusion, climate action, and public private partnerships.

Nina Saalismaa

Senior Programme Manager

Nina has 20 years of experience in climate change, nature-based solutions, development cooperation and programme management. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked for a non-profit consultancy focusing on communicating global climate and environmental issues. During her earlier positions with United Nations, international organisations and NGOs, Nina has coordinated diverse projects, including in human rights and child safeguarding. During her career Nina has been based in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Lesotho and Kosovo. Nina holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Helsinki, and a Certificate on Sustainable Environmental Management from the University of California.

Anne Nayral de Puybusque

Programme Manager

Anne has a 10-year experience in the development sector, with over four years based in the field in Nicaragua and South Sudan. After graduating from Sciences Po in Paris and the London School of Economics, she started to work in the humanitarian sector and then moved to social entrepreneurship. She has occupied several monitoring and evaluation, project management and fundraising positions across organisations ranging from microfinance institutions, local and international NGOs to multilateral organisations.

Ksenia Pons

Grant Administration Officer

Before joining the Foundation, Ksenia worked for seven years in Trafigura in the HR Department. Prior to that she worked at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva and Procter & Gamble in Moscow. Ksenia strongly believes in humanitarian work and is eager to contribute her skills and experience to the objectives of the Foundation.

Laura Frühwald

Programme Manager

Laura has 10 years of experience in international development and cooperation. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked for an international peacebuilding organization in different roles in Geneva and in West Africa. Previous experiences include working with NGOs in public health and youth employment, and for the Austrian foreign service. Laura holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Vienna, including a semester at the Global Studies department of the University of Gothenburg. Her studies focused on international development, migration and peace and conflict studies.

Celine Guerin

SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Celine has more than 15 years of experience in developing communication strategies, advocacy campaigns and multimedia content for both private sector companies and public bodies including the World Health Organization, the Global Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. She has also worked in French national television and radio. Celine holds a Master in Journalism and a Master in Information and Communication from Sorbonne University, Paris, as well as a Bachelor of Philosophy from Lyon II University.