When Deap Capital Management & Trust Plc recently announced the appointment of Mr. Lamon Rutten as Chairman of its Board, the decision brought to the Nigerian financial services and commodities sector a globally recognised expert with more than three decades of experience in commodity markets, structured commodity finance, and exchange development.
A Dutch national with extensive professional engagements across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Rutten has built a reputation as one of the pioneers in the development of modern commodity trading and financing infrastructure.
He holds a master’s degree with honours in International Economic Management from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and has spent much of his career working at the intersection of commodities, finance and policy development.
Rutten’s international profile was shaped by his early work with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where he led programmes focused on commodity risk management and structured trade finance for developing economies.
Over the years, he has advised governments, multilateral institutions and financial organisations on commodity market development, helping to design systems that enable producers and traders to better manage price volatility and access financing.
One of the most notable chapters of his career was his role as the pioneering Chief Executive Officer of the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX), widely known as the Mumbai Commodity Exchange.
Under his leadership, the exchange witnessed rapid expansion, becoming the world’s second-largest commodity exchange during his tenure. The institution also achieved a landmark public listing valued at about $1.5 billion, with trading volumes estimated at over $2.5 trillion by 2012.
Beyond India, Rutten has played key roles in the establishment and development of commodity exchanges in several parts of the world. He served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Indonesia Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (ICDX) and was involved in initiatives such as the development of the Saudi Mining Exchange.
His expertise spans commodity trading systems, structured finance, and risk management—areas increasingly considered critical to the development of Africa’s mineral and natural resource sectors.
Rutten is also widely known in policy and academic circles as a prolific author. He has written extensively on commodity markets, trade finance and risk management, publishing research papers and policy studies that have influenced global thinking on commodity sector reforms.
His leadership role at Deap Capital Management & Trust Plc is expected to bring this wealth of international experience to the company as it seeks to strengthen its position in financing Africa’s emerging minerals economy.
Deap Capital focuses on mobilising capital and building financial solutions to support the development of critical minerals across the continent, a sector that is attracting increasing global attention amid the growing demand for resources used in energy transition technologies.
With Rutten at the helm of its board, the company hopes to leverage his global network and expertise to deepen investment flows into Africa’s metals and mining sector while also exploring ways to modernise artisanal mining operations in countries such as Nigeria.
For Rutten, the opportunity represents a new phase in a career defined by building financial infrastructure around commodity markets.
“It’s a new dawn for the African metals and minerals financing space,” he said while reflecting on his role. “The future starts now.”