Join 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 T_g 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.

Mamello 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.

In the rapidly-evolving discipline of nutrigenomics, Joffe is globally acknowledged as a leading expert in the field. She is a highly sought-after speaker, has co-authored two books, ‘It’s Not Just Your Genes’ and ‘Genes To Plate’, and has been published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Yael is at the forefront of nutrigenomic education and has helped develop and supervise nutrigenomics courses around the world, including her own Manuka courses, which have trained hundreds of healthcare practitioners globally. She is currently an Adjunct Professor, teaching Nutrigenomics at Rutgers University and MUIH.  She is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of 3X4 Genetics.

Joffe joins a panel of experts in a discussion titled, Keeping food safe from farm to fork: The science and technology contribution to Food 4.0

Dr 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 75^th 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.

Lee Naik is Chief Executive Officer of TransUnion Africa and is recognised as one of South Africa's leading digital and technology transformation experts. Naik is responsible for a portfolio of businesses across eight countries that help businesses make more informed decisions and help consumers manage their personal information better to lead a higher quality of life. 

Naik is a visionary and thought leader on real-world digital trends, challenges and solutions. He is a frequent speaker and commentator and was recognised as a global top 10 technology commentator in the inaugural LinkedIn Top Voices awards. 

Tommie van Zyl completed his studies in agriculture and commerce at the University of Stellenbosch.  He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Florida in the USA.

In the twenty years that Tommie has held the position of Chief Executive of ZZ2, the farm has grown extensively from the family farm that his father started. Besides tomatoes, ZZ2 is also a significant producer of onions, avocados, mangoes, deciduous fruit, cherries, almonds, blueberries, Medjool dates and cattle. ZZ2 has farms stretching from the Limpopo Province to the Western and Eastern Cape, Gauteng, North West and Namibia. Tommie instituted a revolutionary “open system” management model in ZZ2 with the purpose of integrating the stakeholders involved in ZZ2, in an inspired system which functions as a proverbial hive of activities.  This includes production, packaging, marketing and also departments such as finance, corporative services, logistics, horticulturists, agronomists, engineering, information technology, security and technical services. Besides its farming activities, which include the production, packaging and marketing of 230 000 tons of vegetables and fruit per annum, ZZ2 also has an interest in vertically and horizontally integrated businesses. This includes seedling nurseries, insectaries for integrated plant protection, an installation for increasing microbes and plant extracts, nature conservation areas, compost plant, as well as fresh produce markets and trading platforms.

He is by nature positive, affirmative and modest. He speaks Sotho fluently and is involved in community development.  He believes that farming in South Africa has a bright future, provided that changes are managed purposefully and thoughtfully. He believes that innovation and entrepreneurship is imperative for the creation of sustainable economic value. He believes that an orderly and civilised society can only exist with strong ethical and moral preconditions.

He served as director and vice chairman of the USA-based PMA (Produce Market Association) and was the chairman of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (APAC) for 7 years.  He serves as director on various boards.

He has received numerous awards:

• 2020    South African Academy of Sciences and Arts honorary medal
• 2015    FAK Prestige award for exceptional leadership
• 1986    Gamma Sigma Delta award, University of Florida, recognition for high scholarship
• 1984    Fullbright Scholarship, USIS
• 1987    Sport honours for boxing, University of Stellenbosch

Zvikomborero Tangawamira is a Business Development Manager at the CSIR supporting the Advanced Agriculture and Food Cluster. She has worked extensively on the African continent, on consulting roles supporting policy development, strategic plans and local economic development plans. More recently, she managed the African Union Development Agency and the New Partnership for Africa's Development SANBio Programme, BioFISA II with a focus on commercialisation of research outputs in health and nutrition across 13 SADC Member States. Tangawamira is passionate about Africa and works to support its development.

Dr Tawanda Muzhingi is a Senior Scientist at the International Potato Centre Regional Office for Africa, Nairobi, Kenya where he supports country, regional and global programmes with food science, nutrition, value addition, technology transfer and post-harvest research.

Tawanda obtained his PhD Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition and MS Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston in the United States of America (USA) and Bachelor of Science in nutrition from the University of Zimbabwe.

Before joining CIP, Tawanda worked for nine years at the Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston in USA.

Tawanda’s research interests are in food-based strategies to address micronutrient malnutrition and technology transfer for economic empowerment in developing countries. Tawanda is also adjunct professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University in the USA.