Skeleton Basin Investments, a Capital Pool Company (CPC) listed on the Development Capital Board (DevX) of the Namibia Securities Exchange (NSX) three weeks ago, has appointed three industry veterans, including Debmarine Namibia CEO Willy Mertens, as independent non-executive directors as the newly established Namibian company strengthens its board.

The appointments of Willy Mertens, Otto Nakasole Shikongo and Bridget Venner took effect on Sept. 25, 2026, following approval by the company’s board in accordance with the Namibia Securities Exchange Listings Requirements.

Debmarine CEO brings extensive mining expertise

Willy Mertens, who has also been appointed chairman, has served as CEO of Debmarine Namibia since November 2022, overseeing the company’s specialised offshore diamond recovery and exploration fleet operating along Namibia’s southern coast.

He previously served as CFO of Debmarine Namibia, Namdeb Holdings and De Beers Namibia Holdings between 2013 and 2022. He joined Debmarine Namibia in 2006 after working in internal audit at Namdeb and completing his articles at KPMG Namibia.

Willy Mertens also serves as deputy chairperson of the Development Bank of Namibia, where he chairs the Board Credit and Investment Committee, and sits on the boards of Old Mutual Investment Group Namibia and Namibia Energy Transition Fund Managers.

He is a Chartered Accountant (SA)(NAM) and Certified Internal Auditor, with qualifications in mining engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and advanced taxation from the University of South Africa. He also completed the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School.

Former Debmarine CEO joins Skeleton Basin

Shikongo brings more than three decades of experience across Namibia’s diamond mining industry. He served as managing director and later CEO of Debmarine Namibia from December 2003 until his retirement in 2022, having started his career across Namdeb, Debswana and Debmarine Namibia in 1988.

During his tenure, he was appointed to the De Beers plc Executive Committee in 2017. He is currently chairman of FirstRand Namibia and a non-executive director of First National Bank of Namibia.

Shikongo previously served on the boards of the Namibian Stock Exchange, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia, Namibian Ports Authority and Sanlam Namibia Holdings. He also chaired the Namibia Training Authority and Roads Contractor Company and served as president of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia.

Venner adds more than 40 years of international oil and gas and geoscience experience to the board. She held senior positions with Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil across Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East and Africa.

From 2019 to 2024, Venner was vice president and general manager of ExxonMobil Namibia, where she led the company’s offshore frontier exploration business and advised the Namibian government on oil and gas legislation and regulatory frameworks.

She previously led ExxonMobil’s exploration operations in Kurdistan and held senior geoscience positions supporting developments in the North Sea, Sakhalin and the Gulf of Mexico.

Skeleton Basin expands board expertise

Following the appointments, Skeleton Basin’s board comprises Mertens as independent non-executive chairman, Shikongo and Venner as independent non-executive directors, alongside non-executive directors Romé Mostert and Chastin Bassingthwaighte, and executive directors Rowland Brown and Taimi Nangula Itembu.

The appointments give Skeleton Basin a board with extensive experience spanning offshore diamond recovery, mining, engineering, oil and gas exploration, financial services and corporate governance as the company establishes its leadership structure.