Director of Policy Implementation, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), RSA
Currently the director of policy implementation at the department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), RSA. In this role he is responsible for supporting the implementation of the dtc’s sector master plans that are currently approved by Cabinet. His activities includes designing practical responses to challenges that impede the implementation processes and includes the programme of the R-CTFL master plan which was approved for implementation in December 2019. Mahendra’s previous experiences includes working for the United States’ National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy in Washington, DC, for the Wuppertal Institute in Berlin, and in foreign policy for Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). One of his focus areas is designing and implementing economic/industrial policy that speaks to the current demands of socio-economic development whilst balancing the expected future disruptions and trajectories of modern society. Mahendra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Cape Town, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in International Political Economy from the University of Pretoria and a Masters Degree in Economic Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany. He is the receipt of the prestigious Oppenheimer Scholarship, Bard University Scholarship and DIRCO Scholarship for post-graduate studies.