Bowmans further energises its future with ex-IPP Office legal head Lena Mangondo joining Johannesburg team

As Bowmans continues to secure ‘first of a kind’ mandates in the energy and infrastructure sectors, new hire Lena Mangondo’s “deep understanding of governmental objectives and regulatory frameworks will be invaluable” for the preeminent African firm and its clients, says Ezra Davids, Chair and Senior Partner. 

Lena joins the Projects, Energy, and Infrastructure Practice in the firm’s Johannesburg office, after more than a decade as Head of Legal at the Independent Power Producer Office (IPP Office), which was established in 2010 to provide rapid solutions to South Africa’s severe electricity supply constraints, by procuring new energy generation capacity from independent power producers.

During her time with the IPP Office, Lena played a pivotal role in pioneering South Africa’s Renewable Energy IPP Programme, which has attracted nearly ZAR 300 billion in investment and procured over 9,000 MW of capacity so far. 

A law graduate of the University of Pretoria, Lena also spent several years earlier in her career as an in-house lawyer at the National Treasury of South Africa. 

Lena’s experience spans the full lifecycle of energy projects, from legislative drafting and strategic policy advice to overseeing complex procurement processes and the financial close of major infrastructure programmes. 

As part of her tenure at the IPP Office, she assisted in the drafting of amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act, the Gas Amendment Bill, the National Energy Regulator Amendment Bill, the Independent System and Market Operator Bill, and various amendments to the Electricity Regulations on New Generational Capacity and the Electricity Transition Infrastructure Regulations. She also recently provided support to the governments of Botswana and Namibia during the formulation of procurement processes for private sector-financed power plants in these countries.

Now moving to private practice after more than 17 years in in-house leadership roles, Lena says she is forward to the new chapter in her legal career, and to “new collaborations working with an exceptional team at Bowmans law firm”

Lena’s technical and strategic expertise will be an asset to the firm and its clients, says Daryn Webb, co-head of Energy. “Her ability to navigate the complexities of procurement and commercial agreements in the African energy and infrastructure sectors will be of significant benefit to our clients operating across the region."

Her arrival further strengthens Bowmans’ expertise and leadership and expertise across key sectors, after appointing tech lawyer and entrepreneur Robbie Coehlo as a partner in Cape Town earlier this year, and telecoms expert Justin Ramages as a partner in its Johannesburg office in December.