Appointment of new Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation
- Wits University
Professor David Phaho has been appointed as the Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation, with effect from 1 October 2026.
This is an important appointment for Wits as the University enter the next phase of strengthening its innovation ecosystem and expanding the translation of its research into societal and economic impact.
Phaho is currently the Director of the African Energy Leadership Centre and Energy Disciple Lead at Wits Business School and will continue in this role while taking up the Chair through a secondment to the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC).
As Chair, he will provide academic leadership in research-led innovation, embedding innovation and entrepreneurship across curricula and research, fostering interdisciplinary and translational collaboration, and overseeing postgraduate and professional training programmes. He will also build strategic partnerships and mobilise funding while championing Wits’ innovation agenda and strengthening the University's national and international positioning.
Phabo brings extensive academic, industry, and government innovation leadership experience to the role. His research interests span sustainability, energy, innovation, technology transfer and technology adoption. He completed his undergraduate studies in science at the University of Cape Town and a PhD in Chemistry in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar.
Before joining Wits Business School, Phabo served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor responsible for Research, Technology Innovation, Postgraduate Studies, Partnerships and Internationalisation at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Earlier in his career, he held several positions in Sasol's Research and Development Division and served as Chief Executive Officer of the Tshumisano Trust, a Department of Science and Technology initiative established to strengthen technology transfer and the innovation capacity of South African SMEs. At its height, he oversaw a network of 18 technology transfer centres across nine South African universities under the Technology Station Programme. The Trust was amalgamated, through an Act of Parliament into the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), whose mandate is to drive the national innovation agenda in South Africa through the provision of financial and non-financial support for innovation in both the public and private sectors. Phabo also served on several boards, including Foskor (Pty) Ltd and Pikitup Johannesburg, and was Chair of the Vaal University of Technology Council.
The Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation was established in 2022 through the generous support of Wits alumnus Dr David Fine, himself a chemist, with a vision to strengthen innovation at Wits and enable more of the University's outstanding research to progress towards application and commercialisation.
"We greatly value our continuing engagement with Dr Fine as we work to realise this vision, and extend our sincere thanks to the inaugural Chair, Professor Adam Pantanowitz, who played an important role in establishing the foundations of the Chair and continues to provide strategic advice to the WIC. We also thank Professor Christo Doherty, who has served in an acting capacity over the past 18 months and has made a valuable contribution, particularly in advancing innovation at the intersection of the arts and sciences," says Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research & Innovation.
"We warmly welcome David to the WIC. His combination of academic leadership, industry experience, technology-transfer expertise and understanding of the South African innovation landscape positions him exceptionally well to lead the next phase of the Chair. We look forward to working with him to deepen innovation across Wits' Faculties, strengthen engagement with industry and external partners, and accelerate the translation of Wits research and ideas into meaningful impact. We wish him David every success in this important role," she adds.