Gillian Chigumira joined TIPS in 2014. She has a Masters in Commerce – Development Theory and Policy. She has an Honours in Commerce, an Honours in International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand. Gillian has more than eight-and-a half years of experience as an economist, policy advisor and strategy analyst in the field of industrial development and inclusive economic growth for South Africa and the greater SADC Region. Her work fundamentally targets research and policy development for government departments, regional and international organisations. Her expertise cuts across national masterplans for industry, sectors, and individual product analysis in agricultural and agro-processing related value chains and the broader manufacturing sector. Gillian has recently worked on South Africa's Masterplans such as the Water and Sanitation Industrialisation Masterplan; Sugar Value Chain Masterplan; the Poultry and the Plastics Industry Masterplan for Growth Global Outlook. She has also worked on multiple agricultural value chain studies on agro-processing machinery, dairy, aquaculture, abalone, essential oils, soybeans, fruits and vegetables, cassava, industrial starches, hemp, and confectionery.
Before TIPS, Gillian worked at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and Rethink Africa. She is also a Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Scholar | Mellon Mays Fellow | Canon Collins Scholar and attended summer school at Emory University, Bowdoin College, and Bryn Mawr in the United States.
Gillian is also a member and Certified Business Advisor with the Institute of Business Advisors of Southern Africa (Reg. M5358).