Deap Capital Management & Trust Plc has appointed Lamon Rutten as Chairman of its Board, following the company’s 12th Annual General Meeting and inaugural board session held on March 12, 2026. The appointment signals a strategic push by the firm to deepen its role in financing Africa’s critical minerals sector.
Rutten, a Dutch national with over three decades of experience across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, is widely recognized for his expertise in commodity markets, structured commodity finance, and exchange development.
He holds a master’s degree with honours in International Economic Management from Tilburg University and has built a global reputation as a pioneer in modern commodity trading systems. His career includes senior roles at the United Nations, where he contributed to energy and commodity market initiatives.
Previous Roles
He is best known for his tenure as the founding CEO of the Multi-Commodity Exchange of India, where he oversaw rapid expansion that positioned the exchange among the world’s largest commodity trading platforms. Under his leadership, MCX achieved a landmark public listing valued at approximately $1.5 billion and reached transaction volumes exceeding $2.5 trillion by 2012.
Rutten has also held key leadership roles globally, including serving as founding CEO of the Indonesia Commodity and Derivatives Exchange and contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia’s mining exchange framework. Earlier in his career, he worked with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, leading international programs on commodity risk management and structured trade finance.
Commenting on the appointment, Israel Ovirih, President of Deap Capital, said Rutten’s global experience would be instrumental in building a world-class platform to finance and support Africa’s critical minerals growth. He added that the new chairman’s expertise could help unlock opportunities in the African metals and mining sector, particularly in modernizing and formalizing artisanal mining in Nigeria.
In his response, Rutten described his appointment as the beginning of “a new dawn” for Africa’s metals and minerals financing ecosystem, expressing optimism about the company’s future direction and the continent’s resource potential.
The appointment strengthens Deap Capital’s leadership as it seeks to position itself as a key intermediary between global investors and Africa’s emerging resource economy, with a focus on mobilizing capital and developing innovative financial solutions for the continent’s mineral wealth.
