The Team
Field-led execution backed by deep energy, land, and climate expertise.
TerraFerm Africa is built by operators and builders who translate strategy into on-the-ground delivery across Southern Africa.
Leadership & Core Functions
We combine field operations, energy systems engineering, finance, and community partnership to deliver resilient infrastructure at scale.
Josue Tandoum Waffo
Co-Founder & CEO
Senior Professional Engineer and investment banker with over 32 years of experience in industrial and energy finance across Africa and the U.S. Founder of JMCA Group, he has led the development and structuring of landmark renewable projects, including a 450,000 MTPA biomass pellet plant in Georgia (USA) and a 70 MW biomass power project in Eswatini. At TerraFerm, Josue drives project architecture, strategy, and bankability — aligning engineering design with financial modeling to deliver scalable bioenergy systems from first principles.
Key Focus: Project Finance & Strategy | Infrastructure Bankability | Engineering Economics
Nick Shapley
Co-Founder & COO
Entrepreneur and industrialist with 25 years in land development and mining community projects. As CEO of Goldbroz Group, he drives TerraFerm’s land access, industrial partnerships, and government liaison for the Just Energy Transition (JET) program and Steelpoort pilot deployment.
Key Focus: Land Access & Partnerships | Mining Sector Relations | JET Program Delivery
Conrad Stark
Co-Founder & CTO
Professional Engineer with extensive experience in operations and project delivery across energy, mining, mineral processing, manufacturing, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors, gained in Africa, Middle East, Canada, and CIS countries. At TerraFerm, Conrad oversees biogas plant design and execution — ensuring cost-efficient, world-class engineering and constructability.
Key Focus: Biogas Systems Engineering | Project Execution | EPCM Delivery
Terence Unterpertinger
Lead Agronomist & Farm Operations
South Africa's foremost expert in cactus pear cultivation with 32 years of experience and former Chair of the Cactus Pear Producers Association. Terence leads TerraFerm's OFI biomass nursery and farming operations — bridging agronomy and bioenergy production.
Key Focus: OFI Cactus Cultivation | Biomass Production Systems | Arid Land Agronomy
Glynis Stark
Lead Process Design & Integration
Chemical Engineer with 30 years in industrial gas and minerals processing. Director of Adept Stark, Glynis drives TerraFerm's process integration and engineering design — aligning project development with operational readiness and stakeholder coordination.
Key Focus: Process Engineering | Biogas Upgrading | System Integration
Mareka Mokwatlo
ESG & Community Affairs Lead
Development practitioner and researcher with 15 years in community energy and social ownership models. Director of Ahinasa (Pty) Ltd and Adjunct Researcher at NMU, Mareka advances TerraFerm's ESG strategy, community partnerships, and Just Energy Transition implementation.
Key Focus: Community Ownership Models | ESG Strategy | Just Transition Implementation
Collective Expertise
Engineering & Technical Delivery
Deep expertise across biogas systems, process engineering, and industrial infrastructure with proven track record in Africa, Middle East, North America, and CIS regions.
Project Finance & Structuring
Extensive experience structuring and closing bankable renewable energy projects from greenfield development through financial close and operations.
Community & Stakeholder Engagement
Demonstrated capability in community trust structures, social ownership models, and alignment with South Africa's Just Energy Transition framework.
Agronomy & Biomass Production
World-class expertise in OFI cactus cultivation for arid environments, combining research-backed agronomy with commercial-scale farming operations.
Advisory & Governance
TerraFerm Africa benefits from strategic advisory relationships across development finance institutions, industrial corporations, and technical research institutions. Our governance structure ensures alignment between technical execution, financial discipline, and community value creation.
Strategy that meets the field
From land intake and planting workflows to energy yields and carbon outcomes, our team aligns strategy and delivery. Every site launch is grounded in measured execution and iterative learning.
We build systems that scale across provinces while staying rooted in local context, partnerships, and stewardship.
Explore collaboration opportunities with our team across project development, technical partnerships, and investment structures.