Boitumelo (Tumi) Semete-Makokotlela, PhD, MMFI
Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela is the CEO of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, which is tasked with overseeing access to safe, high-quality, and effective health products, as well as having oversight of clinical trials conducted in South Africa.
Dr. Semete-Makokotlela is the chair of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) initiative, where she leads the steering committee responsible for ensuring development and implementation of harmonized regulatory requirements across the continent. The AMRH is a critical foundational platform for the established African Medicines Agency.
Dr. Semete-Makokotlela has a wealth of experience on the African continent, having been involved in several thought leadership projects such as the African Union Strategy for Health Research, the East Africa Community Bioeconomy strategy development team, and the WHO Expert Panel on Scaling Health Innovations in Africa. She was also a member of the South African Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 at the National Department of Health.
Within the technology innovation space, Dr. Semete-Makokotlela worked at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Biosciences and previously managed a biotechnology incubator at The Innovation Hub Management Company. She was with McKinsey & Company for two years as a McKinsey Leadership Fellow and is also a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative.
Dr. Semete-Makokotlela has extensive research experience gained during her tenure at the CSIR as a senior researcher. She holds a PhD in biochemistry and an MSc in management finance and investment, and she has completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
She sits on several scientific advisory committees and boards of directors and has published as a first author and co-author in scientific publications, review articles, and book chapters.
Appointed to the board: June 2024