Menell was born in 1965 in Johannesburg.[2] His grandfather, Slip Menell, was the co-founder in 1932 of the Anglovaal Group, one of South Africa's largest diversified mining and industrial groups of companies. His father was the philanthropist and businessman, Clive Menell, who died in 1996.[3] President Nelson Mandela gave the address at Clive's memorial service in Johannesburg.[4]
TechMet primarily invests in companies engaged in the mining, processing, and recycling of minerals. Its portfolio includes operations extracting materials like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, which are pivotal components in electric vehicle batteries, as well as rare earth metals used in motors and wind turbines. The company's investment strategy focuses on either selling its stakes or pursuing initial public offerings as evidenced by previous investments like Li-Cycle, a battery recycling entity.
Notably, TechMet is the largest external shareholder in Cornish Lithium, having invested $30 million in the venture, which is formulating plans to mine lithium in the vicinity of St Austell and extract it from geothermal waters near Redruth, Cornwall. The UK Infrastructure Bank have also backed the project.
TechMet is reported to have invested in ten companies. Its interests include nickel and cobalt mining in Brazil and chemical production in Arkansas. Additionally, the firm has stakes in tin and tungsten mining operations in Rwanda.[5]
Prior to joining Anglovaal Group, Menell worked for the De Beers Group in London, Antwerp and Windhoek for eight years.[6] He originally joined the company as a diamond sorter.[7]
Menell was Principal and Executive Director of Anglovaal Mining Ltd. which owned precious metal, base metal, ferrous metal, and diamond interests across Southern Africa. Menell and his brother, Rick, retained control of Anglovaal until its sale in 2001 to create the largest South African empowerment controlled company, African Rainbow Minerals.[8] During his time with Anglovaal he was also a 50% partner in the Venetia diamond mine.[9] De Beers' acquisition of Anglovaal's interest in the mine for $600 million was the largest in the company's history.[9]
Since the sale of Anglovaal, Menell has been a participant in different projects and businesses across sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2017, Menell founded and continues to serve as chairman and CEO of TechMet Ltd,[10] an investment vehicle for a portfolio of technology metal projects.[11] TechMet acquires and manages projects that produce, process, and recycle the key strategic technology metals that go into batteries, electric vehicles, and robotics – cobalt, lithium, nickel, tin, tungsten, rare earth metals, vanadium, and graphite.
Menell is the chief executive officer of the Kemet Group, which invests in and manages mining and other natural resource projects across the African continent, and advises certain African governments on resource policy and major transactions. He also serves as Chief Executive of Tinco Investments Limited (an integrated tin and tungsten producer).
Menell is a former Director and Chairman of Shore Gold Inc.,[12] one of Canada's largest diamond exploration companies.[13]
In 2004, Menell was a founding partner and Executive Director of the A1 Grand Prix auto racing series.[14] He is a Director and Chairman of Sallfort Partners AG, a private banking joint venture headquartered in Zürich.[15]
Through the SG Menell Charitable Fund, Menell invests in disadvantaged communities in both South Africa and the rest of the developing world.[16]
Menell has been quoted in Bloomberg and the Financial Times on technology metals,[11][17] and in the Financial Times as an expert on the diamond industry, African resources, African politics, and resource nationalism.[18] He has spoken at The Times CEO Summit,[19] The Mines and Money Conference,[20][21] and The New York Africa Forum.[22]
