Bonga Mkhwanazi - Director

Q: Where is Bonga based?

Bonga is based in Ladysmith, Malaysia and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Bonga speak?

Bonga speaks the following languages: English (Advanced), Xhosa (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Bonga have?

Bonga has at least 20 years of experience. During this time, Bonga has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 3 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 5 months . Note that Bonga may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Bonga's latest experience?

Bonga's most recent position is Director at Gowip Energy Sdn. Bhd. .

Q: What companies has Bonga worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Bonga has worked for Gowip Energy Sdn. Bhd. and McDermott International Inc. .

Q: Which industries is Bonga most experienced in?

Bonga is most experienced in industries like Energy and Food and Beverage .

Q: Which business areas is Bonga most experienced in?

Bonga is most experienced in business areas like Project Management , Procurement , and Supply Chain Management . Bonga also has some experience in Operations , Quality Assurance , and Business Intelligence .

Q: Which industries has Bonga worked in recently?

Bonga has recently worked in industries like Energy .

Q: Which business areas has Bonga worked in recently?

Bonga has recently worked in business areas like Project Management , Business Intelligence , and Supply Chain Management .

Recommended expert

Ladysmith, Malaysia

Check rate

Experience

Feb 2023 - Present

3 years 4 months

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Director

Gowip Energy Sdn. Bhd.

Responsible for the planning and execution of large complex EPC projects across 3 regions and recently on renewables, including 14 years on Aramco projects.
Develop processes and techniques to evaluate the local supply chains and technical capabilities to maximize the local content requirements within the projects.
Provide oversight and cascade the global best practices during the technical feasibility and constructability studies of solar farms.
Successful completion of 132kV export cable termination works on 70MW Mafeteng Solar PV Plant in Lesotho.

Jul 2019 - Feb 2023

3 years 8 months

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Project Manager

McDermott International Inc.

Project: Marjan-1 Full Field Development for Aramco, total value ~$3.5bn.
Responsible for the full EPIC scope of 2x 230kV export cables (90km each) from onshore substation to 6 new offshore producing platforms (oil & associated gas) and 75km of pipelines.
Led, managed, and motivated multidisciplinary teams from suppliers, subcontractors and fabrication yards enabling them to become high performers in delivering the agreed project scopes within the schedule and cost constraints.
Timely identification of potential cost overruns and schedule slippages and developed mitigation strategies in conjunction with the project director and the cost controls team.
Managed revisions to the agreed lump sum turnkey scope of work whilst ensuring that the necessary amendments to the overall project schedule, milestone dates and contract prices were made well within time, considering the committed schedules.

Results & achievements:

During the 18 months Covid lockdown period, there was minimum disruption to normal business operations due to the rapid response systems that I set up for the team such as cloud-based dashboard progress reporting using Tableau instead of individual excel files.
Project managed the world’s longest dual circuit 230kV subsea cable system (90km each) from Nexans Norway, installation in 2024.
Received praise from Saudi Aramco for exceeding their expectations considering many challenges faced on the project.

Mar 2014 - Jul 2019

5 years 5 months

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Subsea Package Manager

McDermott International Inc.

Projects: Safaniya Offshore Field Upgrades Phases 2, 3, 5 & 6 for Aramco.
Led the negotiation sessions with the manufacturers of cables, umbilicals, rigid and flexible pipes in China, Norway, Japan and the UK prior to order placements and contract signing.
Resolved conflicts promptly and amicably.
Performed regular reviews at manufacturers’ facilities to ensure that their activities were in line with the overall project schedule.
Monitored the cost aspects of the project, forecasted final costs and identified trends to avoid budget overruns.
Coordinated all aspects of the scope of work to ensure alignment and integration between engineering, procurement, construction and quality teams.

Recognition award:

Internal spot award for the seamless execution of the subsea scope for Safaniya Phase 3 project with a focus on minimizing cost overruns by aligning delivery schedules and consolidating all subsea project materials from Europe during shipping to the Middle East.

Mar 2010 - Mar 2014

4 years 1 month

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Project Engineer

McDermott International Inc.

Project: Safaniya Phase 1 Offshore Field Upgrades Project for Aramco.

Achievements:

Successfully led the integrated factory acceptance test (IFAT) of the digital control system in the UK with multiple stakeholders from different regions.
The IFAT was completed one week ahead of schedule and Aramco reps were extremely satisfied with the positive outcomes.

Apr 2007 - Mar 2010

3 years

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Graduate Project Engineer

McDermott International Inc.

Projects: various for Maersk Oil Qatar, RasGas Qatar & Reliance India.

Achievements:

Successfully completed a global 3-year rotational graduate development program with placements and exposure in project planning, supply chain management, subcontracts, engineering, fabrication, marine & project management.
Due to high performance, the final placement was in project management, which was highly sought after by all graduates but only a few were selected.

Jan 2006 - Apr 2007

1 year 4 months

Durban, South Africa

Graduate Project Engineer

Unilever Foods

Led and managed various CAPEX projects with a value of ~$2M.

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Energy and Food and Beverage.

Energy

Food and Beverage

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Project Management, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Operations, Quality Assurance, and Business Intelligence.

Project Management

Procurement

Supply Chain Management

Operations

Quality Assurance

Business Intelligence

Summary

Results-driven, analytical Project Leader with over 17 years of broad experience managing multi-million-dollar offshore oil and gas projects across 3 regions and recently on Renewables, including 14 years on Aramco Projects.

Expertise extends to managing combined project budgets in excess of $300M, leading diverse and multidisciplinary teams to execute on design, engineering, fabrication and offshore installation of subsea assets such as connectors, umbilicals, manifolds, flexible risers, pipelines, jackets and composite cables.

Recognised for consistently exceeding set project goals and deadlines while executing robust risk management strategies.

Possesses a proven track record of effective communication and leadership qualities working with multi-cultural teams to translate project visions into reality.

Languages

English

Advanced

Xhosa

Advanced

Education

Feb 2002 - Nov 2005

University of Cape Town

Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Grid Planning, Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution · Electrical Engineering · Cape Town, South Africa

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 6

Experience in Energy 19 y

Avg length 3 y 5 m

Longest experience 5 y 4 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 3 (United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, South Africa)

Primary country United Arab Emirates

Expertise

Recent roles Director, Project Manager, Subsea Package Manager

Main industries Energy, Food and Beverage

Main business areas Project Management, Procurement, Supply Chain Management

Qualifications

Highest degree Bachelor

Profile

Created

February 2024

Last Update

February 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Bonga based?

Bonga is based in Ladysmith, Malaysia and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Bonga speak?

Bonga speaks the following languages: English (Advanced), Xhosa (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Bonga have?

Bonga has at least 20 years of experience. During this time, Bonga has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 3 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 5 months. Note that Bonga may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Bonga be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Bonga would be well-suited for roles such as: Director, Project Manager, Subsea Package Manager.

What is Bonga's latest experience?

Bonga's most recent position is Director at Gowip Energy Sdn. Bhd..

What companies has Bonga worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Bonga has worked for Gowip Energy Sdn. Bhd. and McDermott International Inc..

Which industries is Bonga most experienced in?

Bonga is most experienced in industries like Energy and Food and Beverage.

Which business areas is Bonga most experienced in?

Bonga is most experienced in business areas like Project Management, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management. Bonga also has some experience in Operations, Quality Assurance, and Business Intelligence.

Which industries has Bonga worked in recently?

Bonga has recently worked in industries like Energy.

Which business areas has Bonga worked in recently?

Bonga has recently worked in business areas like Project Management, Business Intelligence, and Supply Chain Management.

What is Bonga's education?

Bonga holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from University of Cape Town.

What is the availability of Bonga?

Bonga is immediately available for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Bonga?

Bonga's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.