Directors

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is comprised of seasoned executives with decades of operating expertise in the fields of renewable energy, engineering, global operations, and finance.


Chairman:  John Tate (LinkedIn)
Mr. Tate is the one of the founding members of Ruaha Energy. His experience includes positions with large and small enterprises. Most recently he served as CEO for Kastan Mining PLC, a Tanzanian mining and processing company (2007-2014). Before coming to Tanzania, he served as CFO and Treasurer for OneCommand, a SaaS start-up that was recognized in 2005 and 2006, as the fastest growing company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Previously, he was Assistant Treasurer, Global Operations for Con-Way Transportation, a global logistics and supply chain management company. Mr. Tate was also employed by Ford Motor Credit Company in a variety of finance positions including expatriate assignments as Finance Director (CFO) for joint-ventures in India (start-up) and Korea, as well as a start-up subsidiary in Thailand. He also spent several years in Dearborn, Michigan at Ford Motor Credit’s world headquarters, holding assignments in the Controller’s Office, Systems Office, and Treasurer’s Office. During his tenure in Dearborn, he had responsibilities related to all markets outside of North America. Mr. Tate has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Finance (Colorado State University) and a Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Certificate (Portland State University). He is a licensed CPA (Montana), CIA (Certified Internal Auditor), and CGMA (Certified Global Management Accountant).


Director:  Antony Butler (LinkedIn)
Mr. Butler is an Oxford graduate and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He has extensive experience in the financial services industry; having served as Regional Director for Central & East Africa for Citibank in Nairobi and, as deputy CEO for the Saudi British Bank in Riyadh, and at the Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait in Bahrain. He was Group Managing Director of Ecobank Transnational in Lome, Togo. For a decade, Mr. Butler consulted to the Chairmen and Boards of foreign-owned banks in the UK and internationally. He served as CEO of Bridge Security Co (Seoul) in Asia. Most recently, over the past several years, Mr. Butler has focused on projects in the mining industry, serving as Chairman of Consolidated Africa Mining, and as a non-executive director at Rusina Mining (Australia/the Philippines), and at Nusantara Energy (Indonesia).


Director:  Salim Zagar (LinkedIn)
Mr. Zagar is a Company Director. He is a Tanzanian businessman with a long history of experience in Tanzania. Mr. Zagar holds a DBP degree in Book and Periodical Publishing from the London School of Printing, London, United Kingdom, and a Diploma in Technical Scientific Editing.


Director:  Younghee Han
Ms. Han is a Tanzanian permanent resident and has lived and worked in Tanzania for eight years, serving in a similar capacity for Kastan Mining and Kastan Industries. She has a BS degree in Chemistry, and holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Special Education and a second in Nutrition.