Leon is an Associate Director based in the Johannesburg offices of Control Risks. With over 20 years of professional experience in research, analysis, strategy, academia, and legal practice, Leon leads the development of our strategic partnerships and relationships with new and existing clients who operate under challenging conditions in Southern Africa.
Leon specialises in the law and policies governing the extractive industries, including the areas of emergent value chains, resource governance, and security and conflict in the natural resource sectors. Coupled with his experience in creating, expanding, and maintaining knowledge networks, Leon leverages his expertise to facilitate the empowerment of clients and the mitigation of uncertainty.
Recent tasks that Leon has worked on include:
Before joining Control Risks, Leon was the Director of the “Extractive Industries Law in Africa Unit” at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law. He previously held the Rio Tinto Research Fellowship at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom for five years, preceding which he worked in the private legal sector. He holds a Master’s (LLM) degree in “Mineral Law and Policy” (Chevening Scholar) from the University of Dundee, as well as a Master’s (LLM) degree in “Constitutional and Administrative Law with a specialisation in Environmental Law”, and an LLB(Hons) from the University of Pretoria. Leon is admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa.