Mr Vinay Somera
Chief Executive Officer: Isondo Precious
Metals
Mr Vinay Somera is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Isondo Precious Metals (IPM), with more than 35 years of experience in the platinum group metals (PGM) industry in South Africa. His career has spanned a range of strategic leadership and innovation roles, establishing him as a recognised authority on PGM technology, beneficiation and business strategy. Before founding IPM, he spent 25 years at Impala Platinum (Pty) Ltd (Implats), where he held a succession of senior positions, culminating in his appointment as Group Executive: Market Development and Strategy. During his tenure, Mr Somera was instrumental in establishing and growing Impala Refining Services (IRS), building it over a decade into a one-million-ounce platinum refinery with a multi-billion-rand annual turnover.
A committed advocate for adding value to South Africa's precious metals, Mr Somera founded IPM with the vision of establishing a thriving beneficiation industry to support the country's emerging green hydrogen economy. Under his leadership, IPM has developed a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to localising the manufacture of critical mineral products in South Africa. The company is commencing production of speciality PGM chemicals and catalyst precursors, precious metal catalysts, and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells and electrolysers. The facility also houses advanced PGM analytical and MEA testing laboratories, with catalyst and MEA recycling capabilities currently under development. Looking ahead, Mr Somera is leading IPM's expansion into hydrogen mobility, with plans to roll out hydrogen refuelling stations and, over time, deploy fuel cell-powered trucks and buses at scale, drawing on planned access to significant volumes of hydrogen in the Johannesburg area.
Mr Somera holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Chemistry and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, as well as an Executive MBA from the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business