Michelle Austin

First established in 1959, Keegor Group is a market leader in the manufacturing of equipment and related consumables for precious metals mining analysis and production across six continents.

Established in 2016, Keegor SA is one of five Keegor Group businesses. We focus on mining equipment for the precious metals, assaying, refining and smelting industries in the South African market.

We are a family-run, third-generation business based in Benoni, near Johannesburg in South Africa, united by a common purpose to ‘create excellence’ through continuous improvement, and this has delivered outstanding results.

Today, Keegor SA is a top performer within the Group, accounting for 67% of group-wide turnover in 2022 and forecast to achieve an outstanding 54% of overall net profit in 2023. With employee engagement over 20% above the South Africa benchmark, on-time delivery has dramatically transformed from 29% to 93%.

While Keegor’s exceptional success is thanks to the whole Keegor family, Group Financial Director Michelle Austin stands out. The sole executive director of Keegor SA, and only one of two women on the Keegor group leadership team, Michelle is a qualified Chartered Accountant and was on track to become CEO of a listed company, when she was persuaded by her Father, Keegor Group CEO to sit in on a board meeting. He saw the potential for Michelle to join the leadership team, bring her entrepreneurial spirit and help transform the family business. A fire was lit. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Michelle was appointed Group Financial Director in 2015. Being a woman in finance and a board member in the Metals and Engineering industry (without an Engineering degree) in South Africa is tough. Michelle turned this to her advantage, rolled up her sleeves and led by example. Together they set out on a mission to automate the company and its operations whilst staying true to its family values.