Organisational Structure

Vuyani Jarana is the Chairperson of the CSIR Board. He is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ilitha Telecommunications. Prior to this role, he was the CEO of South African Airways. He also held various roles at Vodacom before joining South African Airways. He is a C-Level business leader strategy, business development and business transformation expert.

Jarana holds an Honours and a Master’s in business administration, both from Stellenbosch University.

Nomsa Dlamini is the Executive Manager for the CSIR Smart Mobility. Before joining the CSIR, Nomsa served as Portfolio Director for Transport at MPAMOT Africa Pty Ltd. From January 2017 until May 2023, Nomsa held the position of Executive Manager for Asset and Maintenance Assurance at the Gautrain Management Agency. Additionally, within the same organisation, she assumed the role of Acting Senior Executive Manager for Technical Services before 2017.

Her leadership expertise has been refined through this extensive experience, setting her on a path marked by innovation and continual growth. Ascending through the ranks within the engineering field, Nomsa's career journey has led her to the forefront, where she now leads a team of seasoned professional engineers.

Nomsa's remarkable journey has been marked by outstanding achievements, one of which is her receipt of a Harvard South Africa Fellowship Scholarship Award. This prestigious scholarship paved her path to Harvard Business School, where she successfully completed the General Management Program, earning a certificate that further underscores her commitment to excellence.

Nomsa holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Master of Engineering qualifications from the University of Pretoria. Nomsa boasts a rich and extensive career spanning over two decades.

Fabrizio Dionisio is the Executive Manager: Business Development and Commercialisation for the CSIR Advanced Production and Security division. Prior to his appointment, Fabrizio was the acting Divisional Executive: Research and Technology Development at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA).

Fabrizio is not new to the CSIR, having previously been with the organisation for 20 years in various specialist and management positions. He was the Contract Research and Development Manager at the former Modelling and Digital Sciences unit and Key Account Manager for the CSIR. He has extensive leadership experience in business development for local and international projects, strategy development, stakeholder management and project management.

He holds an MSc in Aeronautical Engineering from Wits University.

Dr Thulani Dlamini is the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (CSIR). He was appointed in this position in February 2017, but he is no stranger to the CSIR having previously served the organisation with distinction for many years.

He joined the CSIR in 2005 as the head of the National Laser Centre and in 2008, he was appointed in the position of Group Executive: Research and Development, a position he held until 2011 when he left the CSIR to join Sasol. At Sasol, he was the Executive Manager: Research and Development and later became Vice-President for Strategic Research and Technology.

Dr Dlamini holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master’s in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa.

He has served in many Boards and National Committees. He is a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and the South African Academy of Science.