The Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted a guest lecture which was presented by Seema Kumar, Vice President of Innovation, Global Health and Policy Communication at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), on Monday (18 July 2016). Ms Kumar is based in New Brunswick in the USA and her responsibilities include communications regarding enterprise innovation, medical safety and ethics, policy, and global health. She is in Durban along with her colleagues Marc Schorpion, Vice President, Human Resources and Modupe Odusote, Organisation Development and Senior HR Business Partner at J&J, as part of a delegation that is attending the International AIDS Conference taking place at the Durban ICC from 18 July to 22 July 2016. 

The guest lecturer focused her talk around the legacy of J&J, the role that J&J plays on the world stage, the global brands that people love, the mentorship opportunities for students and the possibility of DUT students joining the international J&J family. Students and staff from the Faculty of Applied Sciences and other members of the DUT community enjoyed the 90 minute guest lecture. The Executive Dean in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Professor Suren Singh, said that he was honoured that Ms Kumar and her team spent such valuable time at DUT. 

“I hope that this will be another step in exposing our students to global trends and opportunities in science and technology.” Alan Khan, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at DUT was the programme director for the event. He started the proceedings by paying tribute to former President Nelson Mandela and acknowledged Mandela Day 2016. The Chairperson of DUT Council, Dr Jairam Reddy, was also in attendance at the presentation and thanked the team from Johnson and Johnson for engaging with students and staff.

Pictured above: Seema Kumar, Vice President of Innovation, Global Health and Policy Communication at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), at the DUT presentation.