Ronak Gopaldas is a political economist, “pracademic,” writer, and speaker whose work focuses on the intersection of (geo)politics, economics, and business in Africa.
He is a Director at Signal Risk, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and faculty at GIBS Business School in South Africa. Previously, he was the Head of Country Risk at Rand Merchant Bank, where he worked for nearly a decade. He also serves in advisory roles, including with the Institute of Security Studies’ ENACT programme, which builds knowledge and skills to enhance Africa’s response to transnational organised crime.
A prominent voice in both local and international media, Ronak has made frequent appearances on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNBC Africa, and regularly publishes opinion and analysis pieces. He has also spoken at leading Africa-focused policy and business conferences and several of the world’s top universities as a moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker. In 2016, he delivered a TED Talk on Africa’s evolving role in the global economy.
Ronak’s greatest strength lies in his ability to translate and connect the worlds of business, policy, and academia. This unique skill enables him to offer holistic and differentiated insights on complex issues.
He holds several prestigious affiliations and honours. He has been appointed a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics' Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa (FLIA) and was named a Global South African Brand Ambassador in 2024 to promote South Africa’s international presence and foster cultural and economic ties worldwide. He is also a 2019 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, a 2015 alumnus of the Asian Forum on Global Governance (Raisina Young Fellow), and an alumnus of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI).
Ronak holds a BCom degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) with Business French, as well as a BCom (Hons) in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town (UCT). He also completed an MSc in Finance (Economic Policy) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.