Fleetwood Grobler is an Executive Director on the Sasol Limited Board and is Sasol’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He was appointed 1 November 2019. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Fleetwood is a proven leader with 38 years’ experience across many of Sasol’s key functional and business areas. Together with Sasol’s executive team they are transforming the Group to re-emerge as a sustainable and value-based growth enterprise delivering value to all its stakeholders.
He assumed the role at a significant juncture in the Group’s history – a point when the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP) was nearing completion which significantly increased Sasol’s chemicals capacity in the United States. His appointment also came at a time when Sasol launched work to clearly define its sustainability approach. Since then, Fleetwood has set a new direction for Future Sasol, recognising the important role the Company can play in the global transformation to a cleaner environment. He has also played a leading role in the South African energy transition. Among others, he was invited to be a member of the Green Hydrogen Panel, established by Minister Patel, invited to speak at many events including at the Presidential Climate Commission as an Energy Champion CEO enabling the decarbonisation of the economy and led the formation of the Energy Council of South Africa, launched on 2 November 2021, where he was elected as the inaugural Chair. In January 2022, Fleetwood was elected as a Board member of the Belgium-based Hydrogen Council – a global CEO-led initiative with a united and longterm vision to develop the hydrogen economy. Since May 2022, Fleetwood is a Steering Committee member of the African Business Leaders Coalition of the United Nations Global Compact.
Prior to his appointment as President and CEO, Fleetwood was Executive Vice President of Sasol’s Chemicals Businesses, based in Germany. His focus was on its overall global performance, including the development and implementation of key focus areas in support of Sasol’s value-based strategy. In April 2019, he took on the additional responsibility of progressing the execution of the LCCP – including business-readiness preparation of the project.
Fleetwood has worked at most of Sasol’s operating facilities worldwide acquiring exposure to a broad range of business activities and gaining extensive experience in Sasol’s international businesses. In March 2010 he was appointed Managing Director of Sasol Olefins and Surfactants (now part of the Chemicals Business), based in Hamburg, Germany. Under his leadership, he stabilised the business following a significant turnaround process and set it on a path of solid growth and enhanced performance. He was appointed to Sasol’s Group Executive Committee in December 2013.
Industry Verticals: