A self-described career nomad, Pontsho Maruping started her career in the late 1980s in the mining industry working for De Beers and Anglo American. She later joined the South African Department of Science and Technology where she led various initiatives including spearheading the establishment of the South African National Space Agency, co-chairing the Science and Technology Committee of the Group on Earth Observations, chairing the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, and serving on the South African Council for Space Affairs.

Maruping later joined the Technology Innovation Agency, where she started as an executive and eventually became responsible for a portfolio of over 160 investments in ICT, Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Natural resources, Agricultural biotechnology and Health. In 2022, she was appointed as the Managing Director of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the entity that implements the country’s obligations in the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project, an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope. This project has propelled South Africa to the forefront of one of the major astronomy projects in the world, taking Maruping’s personal and professional journey to new heights.

Read the full interview in the book here