Kaven Naidoo is a Group Executive for one of Africa’s largest Research Techology Organisations, the CSIR in South Africa. He leads strategy development, strategic partnerships, R&D investments and provides executive oversight of several strategic government programmes. He has over 2 decades of experience in this space.

As a young boy, he was inspired by the wonders of space travel and aviation. Kaven aspired for the stars and nurtured a deep ambition for aerospace engineering. He completed a PhD in aeronautical engineering and built expertise in the field of computational aerodynamics and wind tunnel testing. He eventually achieved the rank of Head of Aeronautics for the CSIR in 2013.

During his career he has had the privilege of wonderful and caring mentors. He sees the value of nurturing future talent through timely exposure to global opportunities. At the same time international pathways remain elusive for deserving scholars in Africa. He would like to be a driver of change in his home continent and across the world.