Dr. Kelvin Kemm

Chairman Stratek Global

Dr Kelvin Kemm is a Business Strategy Consultant and runs his own company, Stratek, based in Pretoria. 
He is a nuclear physicist and is a past Chairman of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa).
He studied at the University of KwaZulu Natal.

On completing a PhD he started work as a research and 
development scientist at Necsa. He then moved into the management of technology and became involved in 
a wide variety of projects in many industrial sectors, giving him wide exposure to South Africa's technological 
and industrial base. He developed high technology systems and frequently went out ‘in the field’ to work on 
developments first hand. These activities took him into many factories, down mines, into power stations, 
riding in experimental aircraft and vehicles, and into banking, advertising and marketing systems. So he 
really has been ‘at the working face’ of a wide variety of businesses and industrial operations. 

Kelvin Kemm also became involved in the development of training programmes where he could bring both 
his practical and theoretical experience to bear, and he regularly lectures at a variety of institutions ranging 
from schools to the Defence College. He has been a part-time lecturer in various MBA programmes.
He is a great believer in sound strategy development, and he points out that this is far more difficult than it 
appears on the surface. One needs to dig deep into the understanding of exactly what is really happening 
and what should be happening, to be able to formulate a meaningful strategy. This includes understanding 
the psychology of the society within which a technology system must function.

Dr Kemm believes that a healthy economy needs a wide appreciation of the role of technology and how it fits 
into any strategic plan. Technology is not just the nuts and bolts; it is the entire basis on which any company 
stands. It is the proverbial concrete foundation of any enterprise.

As a result of this belief, he became interested in the public awareness of technology and has written over 
1000 popular interest articles in journals, magazines and newspapers, internationally. He has written two 
books; a public interest book on South African technology: Techtrack - A Winding Path of South African 
Development and a coffee table book: At the Forefront of Weather. 

He has been a Plenary Guest Speaker at the World Nuclear Association in London, and at the World Nuclear 
Exhibition in Paris. He Chaired the opening ceremony of ATOMEXPO in Moscow in 2016, and was a guest 
speaker at the African Union Economic Summit in Mauritius in 2017. He has been a Guest Speaker in places 
as diverse as Hanoi, Windhoek and Stockholm. He has also been a speaker at tribal events in the bush, in 
Venda, Sekhukhuneland and southern Angola. In contrast he has given both Senate and Congressional 
briefings in Washington DC.

He has regularly appeared on radio and TV programmes in South Africa and overseas and is a regular 
speaker at a variety of public events. Involvement in video productions has included roles as creator, 
designer, scriptwriter and presenter. 

In 2003 he was awarded the Lifetime Achiever’s Award in Science and Technology, by the National Science 
and Technology Forum. In 2005 he was a finalist in the Men’s Health magazine Best Man in South Africa
Award. In 2007 he was awarded a Circle of Valour award by The Knights of Durban.