Skeleton Basin Investments has appointed Debmarine Namibia CEO Willy Mertens, former Debmarine CEO Otto Nakasole Shikongo and oil and gas specialist Bridget Venner to its board, a month after listing on the Development Capital Board (DevX) of the Namibia Securities Exchange (NSX).
The appointments took effect on 25 September 2026 and add experience across mining, petroleum, financial services and corporate governance to the recently listed Capital Pool Company (CPC).
Mertens has been appointed independent non-executive chairman, while Shikongo and Venner join as independent non-executive directors.
Mertens has served as CEO of Debmarine Namibia since November 2022, overseeing the company’s offshore diamond recovery and exploration operations.
He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Debmarine Namibia, Namdeb Holdings and De Beers Namibia Holdings between 2013 and 2022. He is also deputy chairperson of the Development Bank of Namibia and serves on the boards of Old Mutual Investment Group Namibia and Namibia Energy Transition Fund Managers.
Shikongo brings more than three decades of experience in Namibia’s diamond mining industry. He served as managing director and later CEO of Debmarine Namibia from 2003 until his retirement in 2022, having started his career with Namdeb, Debswana and Debmarine Namibia in 1988.
He is currently chairman of FirstRand Namibia and a non-executive director of First National Bank of Namibia. He has also previously served on the boards of the Namibia Stock Exchange, Namibian Ports Authority, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia and Sanlam Namibia Holdings.
Venner brings more than 40 years of international oil and gas and geoscience experience, having 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, she served as vice president and general manager of ExxonMobil Namibia, where she led the company’s offshore frontier exploration business and advised the Namibian government on petroleum legislation and regulatory frameworks.
The appointments come after Skeleton Basin listed on the NSX’s DevX board as a Capital Pool Company on 28 August 2026, under the share code RIG and ISIN NA000A42LSF7.
As a CPC, Skeleton Basin provides a listed vehicle through which it can identify and pursue an investment opportunity, including the potential acquisition of an operating business or assets, subject to applicable listing requirements.
Cirrus Securities acted as sponsor for the listing.
Following the latest appointments, Skeleton Basin’s board comprises Mertens as independent non-executive chairman, Shikongo and Venner as independent non-executive directors, Romé Mostert and Chastin Bassingthwaighte as non-executive directors, and Rowland Brown and Taimi Nangula Itembu as executive directors.
