The National Research Foundation (NRF) announced on Friday that its board of directors had reappointed Dr Albert van Jaarsveld CEO for a further five-year term until June 2019.
Van Jaarsveld held the position of deputy-VP at the NRF prior to his appointment as CEO in 2009. His reappointment followed a board process that included a review of the last five years and a consultation with Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom.
Since Van Jaarsveld’s appointment as CEO, he had spearheaded major renewal strategies and technical shifts across the organisation’s portfolio of services, most notably the organisation’s move towards a more customer-centric approach, the overall management of the country’s investment in astronomy, the introduction and extension of the Centres of Excellence programme and the South African Research Chairs Initiative.
“During this time of positive change within the National System of Innovation and the NRF, continuity is vital for a thriving organisation underpinned by the visionary leadership that Dr Van Jaarsveld has displayed during his past five year tenure,” commented NRF chairperson Professor Robin Crewe.
Van Jaarsveld also serves as an ex officio member of the NRF board.