College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences
Co-founder and Executive Director of Kevali Chemicals to speak at Unisa Innovation Festival
Funeka Khumalo
Taking place from 27 November to 1 December 2023 at the Muckleneuk and Science (Florida) Campuses, and the Southern Sun Hotel in Pretoria, the Unisa Innovation Festival is a valuable opportunity to learn about the latest innovation trends at Unisa, discuss broad trends in innovation, research and collaboration, and build partnerships within the innovation ecosystem.
The festival's theme, The future of innovation: Accelerating impact through collaboration, will be debated and discussed in a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and networking platforms led by innovation leaders from academia, government, funding agencies, social entrepreneurship ventures and private sector organisations involved in innovation, including Funeka Khumalo.
Click here to register. Registration is free.
Khumalo is a co-founder and Executive Director of Kevali Chemicals, a National Advisory Council on Innovation Councilor and a Board member of the FoodBevSeta.
Armed with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town, Khumalo has worked at the South African Breweries for almost 15 years. She qualified as a brewer, received a project management professional certification, and completed an MBA at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in 2010.
The next three years saw her working in the nuclear industry at the Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactor. She was later seconded to Westinghouse in the United Kingdom, where she spent time in its nuclear facility in Preston and received a Duly Qualified Person qualification in nuclear.
After 18 years in the corporate world, she started Kevali Chemicals, a multi-million-dollar manufacturer and service provider of hygiene and sanitation chemicals, water treatment chemicals, chain lubrication and adhesives. Kevali's manufacturing facility in Harrismith in the Free State currently employs over 90 people.
* Submitted by the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Unit
Publish date: 2023/11/16
Unisa launches unique digital humanities initiative
Unisa attains second position among SA universities for research excellence
Unisa Catalytic Niche Area Research Symposium seeks to demystify misconceptions about expectations and research in the CNAs
Unisan's input key to successful National Risk Report
Unisans commemorate Mandela Day with the elderly