Professor Fiona Tregenna is Director (D1) of The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT)
Professor Tregenna is a distinguished economist with nearly three decades of experience in research, teaching, and policy advisory work. Prior to joining UNU-MERIT, she held the DSI/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development and served as Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg. Her research spans industrial development, structural transformation, competition policy, inequality, and the green transition, with a particular focus on inclusive and sustainable growth in developing and emerging economies. She brings extensive experience in economic research, policy engagement, and academic leadership to the role, with a strong track record at the intersection of development, innovation, and industrial policy.
Throughout her career, Professor Tregenna has contributed actively to policy processes at national, regional, and international levels. She has served on high-level advisory bodies, including the African Continental Free Trade Area Advisory Council and the International Commission of Experts on Financing for Development. She has also advised governments and multilateral organisations, including through service on South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council and engagement with institutions such as UNIDO, UNCTAD, and the International Labour Organisation.
Her academic work is widely published in leading international journals and books, and she has secured competitive research funding across multiple contexts. Her scholarship is characterised by a strong commitment to policy relevance, methodological rigour, and interdisciplinary engagement.