Group Executive Management

Dr Thulani Dlamini has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) since February 2017. His career began at Sasol Technology in 1998, where he worked as a research scientist and advanced to the role of Chief Researcher, specializing in heterogeneous catalysis and materials characterization.

He joined the CSIR in 2005 as Manager of the National Laser Centre. In 2008, he was appointed Group Executive: Research and Development, a position he held until 2011 before returning to Sasol. There, he served as Executive Manager: Research and Development and later as Vice-President for Strategic Research and Technology.

Dr Dlamini holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa. His professional interests include innovation management, technology commercialization, and strategies for leveraging innovation to advance development.

He has contributed to numerous boards and advisory committees, both nationally and internationally. These include the South African Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the National Advisory Council on Innovation, the Sasol Pension Fund, the African Laser Centre, the Automotive Industry Development Centre, and the Council of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He also serves on the Board of the United Nations Development Programme South Africa and is a member of the South African Academy of Science and the Institute of Directors South Africa.

Dr Rachel Chikwamba is the CSIR Group Executive for the Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences division, leading the implementation of the CSIR Strategy, collaborating with academia, as well as the public and private sectors, both locally and internationally, to foster innovation that contributes to enhancing sectoral competitiveness and economic performance.
Dr Chikwamba has spearheaded several strategic initiatives for the organisation, including the recent launch of CSIR C-Cubed (C3), a commercialisation initiative that brings together intellectual property (IP), entrepreneurs and financial resources to accelerate the pace at which CSIR IP is translated into products and services that enhance the economic competitiveness of industry and enable a capable state. Prior to this initiative, she led Project Synapse, an initiative that defined a renewed vision and mission of the organisation, strategic objectives, the programmatic focus areas, operating and business models, as well as the strategy implementation plan. This process culminated in the current organisational strategy. 
Previously, Dr Chikwamba served as the Group Executive for Strategic Alliances and Communication, fostering organisational partnerships to leverage science, technology and innovation in advancing socioeconomic and industrial development.
Dr Chikwamba has served and continues to serve on several notable boards, including the Global Governing Board of ICRISAT, the Board of Directors of the Wits Health Consortium and the South African Medical Research Council. Additionally, she was recently appointed to the African Union (AU) Panel on Emerging Technologies, which is responsible for guiding the AU and its member states on the use of emerging technologies for economic development.
Dr Chikwamba holds a PhD in genetics from Iowa State University in the USA and a Master of Business Administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and has also held an Honorary Research Fellowship at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. Rachel joined the CSIR in December 2004, following her role as a postdoctoral research associate at Arizona State University, USA.

Advocate Esmé Kennedy is the CSIR Group Executive: Legal, Compliance and Business Enablement. She joined the CSIR in August 2018 from Yokogawa South Africa (Pty) Ltd., where she was Executive Manager: Business Support Services. She has a wealth of experience, which spans over 15 years, eight of which were at a senior management level.
Adv. Kennedy is a dynamic leader with a broad range of expertise in the legal and commercial fields across the mining, construction and energy sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Europe, India and the Middle East. She has worked for organisations such as Murray and Roberts, Areva, Shaft Sinkers and Placer Dome.
Adv. Kennedy holds a Master of Business Administration from North-West University Business School, an LLB and LLM from North-West University and a BProc from the University of Pretoria. She is an admitted Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and has also practised as an Advocate at the Johannesburg Bar.

Andile Mabindisa was appointed CSIR Group Executive: Human Capital and Communication, effective 1 November 2020, having acted in this role since April 2019. He was appointed CSIR Group Manager: Human Capital Business Partnering in December 2018 and previously served as the Country Talent and Development Executive at Gibela Rail Transport (Pty) Ltd. With over 20 years of experience, his expertise encompasses human resources management, talent management, employee relations, learning and development, leadership and management development, project management and stakeholder management in the rail, oil, mining and manufacturing industries.
In May 2018, he was recognised with a Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa’s CEO Award for excellence in learning and development in the rail and manufacturing industry.
Mabindisa holds a Leadership Programme certificate from the Institute of Management Development in Switzerland, a B Soc Sci (Hons) in human resources and a Postgraduate Diploma in industrial relations from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly the University of Natal).

Dr Sandile Malinga was appointed CSIR Group Executive: Smart Society, effective 1 August 2022. He joined the organisation from the South African Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), where he had been the Chief Operations Officer since 2016.
Prior to his role at ATNS, he was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA). During his tenure, between 2011 and 2016, he was instrumental in developing and leading the implementation of the organisational strategy, establishing partnerships with key industry stakeholders, leading the acquisition and fulfilment of commercial contracts and overseeing large research and development projects. Before joining SANSA, he was the Managing Director of the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, under the National Research Foundation.
Dr Malinga holds a Master of Business Administration from Business School Netherlands and a PhD in physics from Rhodes University, where he started his lecturing career in 2001 before joining the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he held various academic roles, serving as the Dean’s Assistant, and on various faculty committees and the University Senate. Dr Malinga has a wealth of board and council experience, having served on numerous oversight bodies, including the SANSA Board, the Sentech Board (as Chairman), the South African Council for Space Affairs, and as a co-opted invitee on the ATNS Board.

Dr Motodi Maserumule is the CSIR Group Executive: CSIR Advanced Production and Security. Prior to his current role, he served as the Executive Director: Defence, Peace, Safety and Security (DPSS). He joined the CSIR in October 2017 from the African Nuclear Energy Corporation, where he served as the Group Executive: Research and Development.
Dr Maderumule is not new to the CSIR. He first joined the organisation in 1999 as a senior scientist in the then Defencetek Operating Unit. He then became the Competency Area Manager for Aeronautic Systems at the former DPSS and was appointed Executive Director: Modelling and Digital Science (MDS) in 2009. In this role, he was instrumental in transforming MDS into an operationally effective unit.
He has extensive experience in strategy development and implementation, leading technology concepts to commercialisation, driving transformation, strategic stakeholder engagement and business development.
He holds a PhD in mathematics from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA. He has completed programmes in management development and national security, as well as a course in mastering technology enterprise, offered by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Dr Maserumule has received various local and international awards and has published research papers in reputable journals. He has professional memberships with the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa and the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematicians.

Dr Kaven Naidoo is the CSIR Group Executive: Business Excellence and Integration, effective 1 September 2022.
Dr Naidoo joined the CSIR in 1999 as an aeronautical engineer within the Defence Aeronautics Programme in the then Defencetek Operating Unit. He subsequently participated in and led various projects for the Department of Defence, industry and the CSIR in the area of computational and experimental aerodynamics. Kaven attained the position of principal researcher before being appointed as the Competency Area Manager for CSIR Aeronautics Systems in 2013 and has held various leadership roles in the organisation over the years.
He has led several national-level efforts in aerospace on behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and has facilitated several dialogues on empowering the growth of the sector in the region and on the continent. He has also served on the International Forum for Aviation Research, an alliance of the leaders of the world’s premier aeronautics institutes including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the German Aerospace Centre, the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and other national aerospace laboratories across the globe in a collaboration to address the world’s most pressing aviation challenges.
In 2020, Kaven was appointed as Divisional Operations Manager for CSIR Advanced Production and Security.
He holds a PhD in aeronautical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and has completed the Executive National Security Programme with the Department of Defence.

Esteé Opperman, Chartered Accountant CA(SA), is the CSIR Chief Financial Officer, effective 1 January 2024.
Opperman’s journey with the CSIR began in 2008 as the Finance Manager for the then Natural Resources and Environment unit. Since then, she has been actively involved in and led various projects within the finance portfolio. In 2019, Opperman assumed the role of Divisional Finance Manager for CSIR Advanced Production and Security.
With a BCom in accounting sciences, a BCom (Hons) in accounting sciences, as well as a certificate in the theory of accounting from the University of Pretoria, she successfully completed the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors examinations. Concurrently, she fulfilled her Articles at KPMG, which concluded her journey to becoming a CA(SA).