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.
