Petro Terblanche | Chief Executive Officer
Afrigen Biologics (Pty) Ltd

Professor Petro Terblanche has a successful track record in the strategic and operational management of technology intensive organizations. She has played a key part in the design and implementation of South Africa’s biotechnology strategy. She holds the position of Managing Director of Afrigen Biologics (Pty)Ltd based in Cape Town, South Africa. Afrigen hosts the global mRNA technology vaccine Hub under the COVAX initiative and has a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate in development as part of a global program to build capacity and capabilities in LMICs to design, develop and produce mRNA vaccines. Petro also holds a part-time position as Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University. A considerable part of her career was in research, development and innovation at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) as well as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). She has several qualifications which include a Master of Science in Medical Oncology and Cancer Biology and a Doctorate in Oncology and Cancer Biology from the University of Pretoria. She was a visiting scientist at Harvard University School of Public Health and thereafter completed a Management of Technology program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in addition to several management and leadership programs from leading institutions globally.  Professor Terblanche is the author of more than 200 scientific publications and conference papers in public health. She was recently acknowledged as one of the legends of science by the Academy of Sciences South Africa.