About CMO Africa

Founder of CMO

Mark Bowden

Mark Bowden is the founder of CMO Africa, which he established in South Africa in 2009, bringing with him more than four decades of technical expertise and industry experience.

With over 40 years of hands-on technical knowledge, Mark built his career on a deep understanding of the valve industry, systems, operations, and practical problem-solving. His expertise was not only theoretical but grounded in real-world application, enabling him to design solutions that were robust, efficient, and sustainable. This strong technical foundation became a defining strength of the business from its inception.

Driven by an entrepreneurial mindset and a commitment to excellence, Mark founded CMO Africa with a clear vision: to create a company rooted in integrity, professionalism, and long-term value. He believed strongly in doing business ethically, building trusted relationships, and developing solutions that would stand the test of time. These principles shaped both the company’s strategic direction and its internal culture.

As founder, Mark played a pivotal role in establishing the organisation’s standards, reputation, and values. His leadership combined technical depth with practical wisdom and a people-focused approach, leaving a lasting imprint on the company’s identity.

Today, CMO Africa continues to operate on the foundations Mark Bowden laid—guided by his technical insight, ethical leadership, and enduring commitment to quality and trust.

Global Valve Expertise, Built for African Conditions

CMO Africa is the African arm of CMO Valves – a specialist manufacturer of knife gate valves, slurry valves, penstocks and other flow-control solutions serving plants around the world. From our base in South Africa, we bring this global engineering capability closer to mines, municipalities and industries across the continent.

Our role is simple: connect African projects with proven CMO technology, and adapt every solution to local realities – water quality, slurry loading, infrastructure and operating environments – so your valves work reliably, day after day.

Knife gate & slurry valves
South Africa & pan-African
Mining · Water · Industry

Global Heritage

Backed by CMO Valves’ international experience and continuous product development, CMO Africa supplies valves that are already proven in mining, water and industrial plants worldwide.

Local Understanding

Our team understands African process conditions – from high-solids slurries and corrosive media to variable water quality and infrastructure constraints in South Africa and across the continent.

Engineered to Last

With replaceable seats, wear-resistant designs and material options matched to each duty, our valves are built for long service life and reduced downtime in demanding African applications.

Africa-Wide Support

CMO Africa works with engineers, distributors and service partners across South Africa and the wider African region to support specification, supply and after-sales service.

WHY CHOOSE CMO AFRICA

We combine CMO Valves’ global engineering with a South African and African focus – delivering knife gate and slurry valve solutions tailored to local conditions, regulations and operating realities.

1 Proven global OEM

CMO Valves has supplied engineered knife gate and slurry valves to projects in more than 70 countries, giving African plants access to a proven global manufacturer.

2 Designed for tough duties

Our valves are engineered for abrasive slurries, corrosive process streams and high-cycling isolation duties common in African mining, water and wastewater operations.

3 Customised to your plant

From materials and coatings to seats and actuators, we help specify valve configurations that align with your process conditions and maintenance strategy.