Professor Manoj Maharaj is a Professor of Information Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics, with a specialisation in General Relativity, and brings a distinctive combination of academic distinction, executive leadership, and board-level governance experience.
He has served in senior university leadership roles, including Executive Director of Information Systems and Technology and Head of School, and has also contributed to institutional governance through service on University Council and Senate. His leadership experience spans higher education strategy, digital transformation, academic development, organisational governance, and stakeholder engagement.
Professor Maharaj has extensive board and fiduciary experience across higher education and public institutions. His roles have included Chair of the UKZN Pension Fund Board of Trustees and Non-Executive Director positions at the Moses Kotane Institute and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA). He has chaired and served on audit, risk, academic, and research committees, and brings deep experience in governance, oversight, accountability, and institutional strategy.
His professional and research expertise includes cybersecurity, information security, cryptography, enterprise risk management, ICT for Development (ICT4D), and digital governance. He has also consulted to industry on cybersecurity, information security, and enterprise risk management, bringing a practical and strategic understanding of how organisations can strengthen resilience, innovation, and public value in a rapidly changing digital environment.
As a scholar and postgraduate supervisor, Professor Maharaj has published extensively in his field and has supervised a substantial number of Master’s and Doctoral graduates. He is recognised for combining analytical depth with practical leadership insight, and for contributing meaningfully at the intersection of governance, technology, risk, and institutional transformation.
