Edwin Elias profile – The Victory Magazine

COMPANY

Morupule Coal Mine

TITLE

Chief Executive Officer

Morupule Coal Mine

Chief Executive Officer

2023

THE MOST IMPACTFUL CFO TO WATCH IN 2023

Edwin Elias

Chief Executive Officer – Morupule Coal Mine

Translating Vision into Reality
Mining industry leaders are responsible for diverse, skilled teams. They must be technically adept and have a high level of emotional intelligence. Great leaders in the mining industry have the experience, confidence and courage to support and guide their teams to achieve success. Apart from all these traits, Mining Industry Leaders need to have a strong understanding of how the industry works, and have to be capable enough to establish leadership credibility. Edwin Elias is one such leader, working towards swiftly developing and implementing strategic plans to ensure effective delivery at the Morupule Coal Mine.

Edwin Elias is the current Chief Executive Officer of Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) – Botswana, which has a rich history of over 40+ years. The mine currently runs both the underground and opencast operations at the current production capacity of 4.2 million tons per annum and aspires to produce at least 10 million tons per annum by 2027.

MCM recently launched a 5-year corporate strategy which envisions “To be a partner of choice in the global coal transition.”, amongst many other ambitions of advancing the 50 years old State-owned entity.

Edwin Elias joined MCM and assumed the CEO role at a time when like many others, MCM too was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. It was important for MCM to get a leader onboard who could put controls in place and reduce the negative impacts on productivity, and Mr. Edwin fulfilled every expectation. He also worked towards ensuring that the mining operations went on, while keeping a thorough check on the overall safety of the business and the well-being of all the staff and workers. Also, his love towards nature motivates him to implement policies that articulate transition towards green energy and demonstrate MCM’s strategic initiatives that will enable the Company to be a partner of choice in the global coal transition.

Journey so Far at MCMS

As the current CEO, Edwin Elias continues on the MCM’s commitment and support towards the socio-economic development of the community. “I have keen interest in the Company Corporate Social Investment program (CSI) as far as the safety, health, wellness and well being of the community is concerned and always prioritize a budget provision for CSI and legacy projects that benefit the community”, shares – Mr. Edwin. Continuing on his above statement, he adds – “I make sure that we involve the community leaders by way of participation in some of the relevant MCM business activities”. Through a detailed conversation with Mr. Edwin, he ecstatically shared his team’s work in that space so far, especially in the health and fitness space.

Furthermore, Edwin also actively involves himself in the brand promotion activities of MCM. By taking charge of the various events, such as expos, panel discussions, media invitations, conferences and so on, he works relentlessly towards positioning MCM before diverse audiences. He adds – “I also get an opportunity to interact with industry peers, exchange insights and network to market our company, which I feel is the best part about my job as the CEO”.

Considering the pandemic phase, which coincidentally was also the time when Edwin Elias took over as the CEO, he took the responsibility in his own hands effortlessly and ensured the whole of MCM moved in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols. He promoted remote working; and eventually strengthened the relationship with Original Equipment Manufacturers; and supported the community with tools and accessories, medical equipment to mitigate against the impact of the pandemic.

A very open person when it comes to his availability towards his subordinates, he follows an open-door policy, where all the employees and stakeholders are welcome with their queries and issues anytime. Moreover, all thanks to the interface existing at MCM, which allows routine interaction between the CEO and the employees, he personally shares inspiring personal quotes with employees every Tuesday (CEO’s Tuesday thoughts), to engage on a more motivational and personal note. In terms of the well-being of the employees MCM has programs in place such as Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that ensures employees are assisted with all sorts of real-life challenges. “I’m confident that in 2023 I will be able to introduce more initiatives to engage with employees, especially around coaching and mentorship”, Mr. Edwin shared.

Beyond MCM

Having grown up in a Mining town in Botswana, his passion emanated from his surroundings, but instead of pursuing Mining Engineering, he pursued Metallurgical Engineering. A graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology, in the state of Missouri, US, Mr. Edwin acquired the skills needed while completing the program, and had an early stage exposure of the professional world.

After his graduation he embarked on a 24 month – graduate training program before he could be confirmed as a process engineer. He then completed a 6 month project and then became a production metallurgist. As a production metallurgist this is where he developed his technical and supervisory skills as he was in-charge of the laboratory; where he also provided support to the production personnel and many others.

Beyond MCM, Mr. Edwin is a strong advisor of building Relationships with his mentor and coach, where he has made it a tradition to engage his executive coach for strategic insights and guidance and this has greatly assisted me through his career journey.

Lastly, he carries forward his belief in strong teams onto his family as well, where he maintains a tight and strong relationship with his family, which has helped him progress through his journey through all the hurdles. Apart from his professional career, he looks forward to focusing on coaching and mentoring professionals, striving to build his Business Acumen and Technical Capabilities.

An Open Message for All

All in all, when Mr. Edwin Elias was asked to attach an open message to all those budding students who are preparing to become tomorrow’s professionals, he states – “For all the future professionals, the key thing is to acquire the necessary skills and experience early on in your career, while ensuring that you continually apply the learnings and grab opportunities available for continuous growth and development”. “Please identify a relevant coach or mentor to assist you towards the development of your career journey. Understand that you can’t do it alone, you need to be guided and fully assisted”, he concludes.