7th CSIR
Welcome to the 7th CSIR Conference
To celebrate our 75-year contribution to research, development and innovation in South Africa, we are bringing you a range of online talks, interviews, virtual tours and webinars, with participation by local and international experts. The conference programme has been designed around nine topics, namely chemicals, health, advanced agriculture and food, manufacturing, mining, defence and security, smart mobility, smart places and next-gen enterprises and institutions. Some special interest sessions have also been scheduled.
Conference attendance comes at no charge, but registration is compulsory. Once registered, you can participate in any session. Join us to learn from, and engage with, some of the world’s foremost experts!
Featured speakers
Prof Dr Gert-Jan Gruter
Chief Technology Officer at Avantium
Prof Dr Gert-Jan Gruter
Chief Technology Officer at AvantiumJoin in on a conversation between the CSIR’s Dr Jan van de Loosdrecht and Avantium Chief Technology Officer Prof Dr Gert-Jan Gruter. Gruter provides an industry perspective on renewable polymers and renewable chemistry.
Prof dr Gert-Jan Gruter has a background in polymer chemistry. He was part-time professor of polymer catalysis at Eindhoven University of Technology (1999-2006). In 2000 he transferred to Avantium where in 2004 he was appointed as Chief Technology Officer. Gruter is inventor on more than 100 PCT patent families and (co)author on about 45 scientific papers and book chapters; he was elected 2014 European CTO of the year and runner-up European inventor of the year in 2017. Gruter is currently part-time professor of Industrial Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam, where he is working on novel high Tg sustainable materials for re-use, on electrocatalysis and downstream conversions, on plastic biodegradation, on chemical recycling of polyesters, on consumer psychology and on ocean plastics.
- Profession Chief Technology Officer
- Company Avantium, Amsterdam
Mamello Matikinca
Chief Economist at First National Bank
Mamello Matikinca
Chief Economist at First National BankMamello Matikinca is the Chief Economist at First National Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree (Econometrics) from the University of Johannesburg and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Management Finance and Investment at Wits.
Matikinca started her career at the Bureau for Economic Research; she later moved to Rand Merchant Bank where she worked as a macroeconomic analyst in the RMB global markets research team.
Matikinca joins Lee Naik, Chief Executive Officer, TransUnion Africa; Mauricio ZuaZua, Partner and Board Member of Kearney and Dr Thulani Dlamini, CSIR Chief Executive Officer, in a discussion on the fourth industrial revolution and industrialisation opportunities for South Africa’s economic recovery.
- Profession Chief Economist
- Company First National Bank
Prof Patrick Soon-Shiong
MD, Chairman and CEO of NantWorks
Prof Patrick Soon-Shiong
MD, Chairman and CEO of NantWorksProf Shiong is a South African born surgeon living in the USA. He founded and sold several healthcare companies and developed the blockbuster cancer drug, Abraxane. The CSIR’s Dr Tsepo Tsekoa joins him in a conversation on how the convergence of healthcare, information technology and artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare.
- ProfessionMD, Chairman and CEO
- CompanyNantWorks
- Website https://nantkwest.com/project/patrick-soon-shiong-2/
Dr Ayodele Odusola
Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Africa
Dr Ayodele Odusola
Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South AfricaDr Ayodele Odusola, Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Africa, leads a session that looks at the role of the UNDP in developing and contributing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in South Africa, Africa and globally.
As part of the United Nations 75th anniversary celebrations, UNDP SA presents its 25-year highlight reel showcasing its impact within South Africa through its various programmes, including inclusive, just and sustainable economic growth; effective, efficient and transformative governance; and climate resilience and sustainably managed natural resources. This showcase will include lessons learned along the journey and feature current and future initiatives, including UNDP SA’s Covid-19 response.
Prior to his current role as Resident Representative of the UNDP in South Africa, Odusola was Chief Economist and Head of the Strategy and Analysis Team for the United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA), where he coordinated economic, social and environmental dimensions of development in Africa. He led the preparation of regional flagship reports for RBA, including the Africa Human Development Report, the African Economic Outlook, Africa MDG/SDGs progress reports and the book Income Inequality Trends in sub-Saharan Africa: Divergence, Determinants, and Consequences (which he co-edited). Odusola provides intellectual leadership to SDG acceleration frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa, managing the network of Senior Economists in UNDP Africa Country Offices and providing strategic advice on policy matters to the RBA Director.
As an economist, Dr. Odusola focuses on dynamics of macroeconomics and development economics pertaining to the African continent. In addition to being an African Visiting Scholar to the IMF in 2002, Dr Odusola had served as a consultant to many international organizations like the World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, the World Institute of Development Economic Research (WIDER), the Global Development Network (GDN), the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) and the West African Institute of Financial and Economic Management.
Dr Odusola is a Nigerian national and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Profession Resident Representative
- Company United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Africa
Bernard Swanepoel
Entrepreneur
Bernard Swanepoel
EntrepreneurEx CEO of Harmony Gold, business owner, director of mining companies in SA, Zimbabwe and Canada, director of a chemicals company with operations in Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, chairman of well-known South African mining industry conferences, partner in THINKspiration. Bernard Swanepoel holds BSC (Min Eng) and Bcom (Hon) degrees. His career started with Gengold in 1982 which culminated his appointment as general manager Beatrix Mines in 1993. After joining Randgold in 1995 as MD of the Harmony mine, Bernard was appointed as CEO of Harmony until 2007. He has been a non-executive board member of ARM, Implants, Zimplants and Founding Partner of To The Point Growth Specialists. He has also been Chairmain of SBI (Small Business Institute), Joburg Indaba (mining). Bernard is also a creator of The Last Mile Fund (Investment).
Sietse Van Der Woude
Minerals Council Senior Executive: Modernisation and Safety
Sietse Van Der Woude
Minerals Council Senior Executive: Modernisation and SafetySietse has a Master's degree in radiation physics. As Manager at the National Nuclear Regulator, he was responsible for the establishment of a regulatory framework for radiation protection in mining. He did his MBA with a focus on integrating sustainability issues into the strategy of businesses. He then joined Xstrata as a manager responsible for safety, health, environment and quality. In 2004 he was appointed as the Head of Safety and Sustainable Development in the Mineral Council (formerly Chamber of Mines) where he enjoyed being part of the mining industry's safety and health enhancement initiatives. Since 2015 he serves as the Senior Executive: Modernisation and Safety and his purpose remains to help facilitate a people-centric modernisation of the mining industry
Sihle Mdluli
Director of Strategy and Corporate Services at Bushveld Minerals
Sihle Mdluli
Director of Strategy and Corporate Services at Bushveld MineralsSihle is a Director of Strategy and Corporate Services at Bushveld Minerals, where she works closely with the executive team in the strategy update and the execution thereof in the business. Her role also entails ensuring that the organisational design and capacity enable effective strategy execution and collaboration across organisational boundaries. This is underpinned by an engaged workforce and a collaborative approach in engaging with stakeholders – all of which reside in her portfolio in Corporate Services.
Prior to joining Bushveld Minerals , Sihle was a Director and Operations Transformation leader at Deloitte Africa’s Strategy and Operations practice. She assisted her clients in defining and executing on their strategies and in improving their cost per output unit in a sustainable manner - whilst ensuring robust stakeholder engagement to enable lasting socio-economic impact in the communities where they operate. She was a trusted advisor to her clients and has extensive experience in building stakeholder value in the Mining and Public Sectors focusing on Strategy Formulation and Execution, Business Model Transformation, Recovery and Turn-around Strategy, Capital Projects Efficiency, Collaborative Facilitation and Stakeholder Engagement. Sihle has led and participated in national agenda projects such being a project manager for Mining Phakisa and a facilitation for the Mining and Beneficiation panel at the first SA Investment Conference.
She joined Deloitte in 2010 and prior to that she worked for De Beers where she accumulated over 6 years experience in mining; in plant operations, project management, general management and diamond sales. She holds a BSc Engineering degree in Metallurgy and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of the Witwatersrand. Sihle is a co-founder for SuperLead, an organisation aimed at building high-capacity Africa leaders. She believes that her life’s work is doing well by doing good – and this is a motto that she lives by.
Bongi Ntsoelengoe
Executive Manager for Future Production: Mining at the CSIR
Bongi Ntsoelengoe
Executive Manager for Future Production: Mining at the CSIRBongi Ntsoelengoe is the Executive Manager for Future Production: Mining. She joined the CSIR on 6 April 2020 from Kumba Iron Ore Limited, a division of Anglo-American plc, where she had been the Manager of Technology, since January 2014. In her role as Manager of Technology, she was responsible for leading Kumba’s digital technology strategy and innovation roadmap, which has seen the company roll out some significant technologies, such as full autonomous drilling fleet at Kolomela Mine, advanced process control for plant operations, autonomous braking system for haul trucks, as well as remote-piloted aircraft systems (drones), as a new tool for surveying and other applications. She has been recognised as a leader in the field of mine modernisation, which led to her being a panellist at several conferences and, most recently, at the 2020 Investing in Africa Mining Indaba.
Bongi has over 15 years’ experience in the mining industry, having worked in iron ore and base metal commodities. Her career started after graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand with a BSc in Metallurgy and Material Engineering. Bongi holds a Master of Business Administration from GIBS, University of Pretoria, and a BSc (Hons) Metallurgical Engineering, University of Pretoria. She also has a Certificate in Business Management, University of South Africa, and an Advanced Management Programme Certificate, University of Navarra, IESE Business School.
She has held various positions in the mining industry, which has given her experience in the processing of minerals, delivering capital projects, technology research, innovation and modernisation across the mining value chain, including the marketing of commodities. Bongi also served as a member of the innovation steering committee at the Minerals Council of South Africa and she is also a Council Member for the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
- Profession Executive Manager for Future Production: Mining
- Company CSIR
