About Us

As COO of SOUTH AFRICA MAKES, Dr Cherise Dunn executes regional digital manufacturing strategic goals, overseeing operations and enhancing company brand through key partnerships with local and international stakeholders. She also currently manages the workflow of product development and fabrication pipelines for 3D printed devices in response to critical needs in the region. She is a global thought-leader on 3D Printing for Development (#3D4D) and believes that this is the fourth industrial revolution technology that will drive the future competitiveness of Africa in the global economy.

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Dr Dunn completed her doctorate in cancer research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. She has extensive experience in medical education as a problem-based facilitator for undergraduate medical students, as well as more than a decade of experience in various capacities in the adult skills development and training sector in southern Africa.

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Dr Dunn’s recent achievements include being selected as one of the 50 most inspiring women in STEM in South Africa for 2019 as awarded by Inspiring Fifty SA (an initiative by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); as well as one of the Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans for 2019 for Business and Entrepreneurship. In December 2018, Dr Dunn was recognized by the United States Department of State as one of the leaders in her field in Africa and was nominated for the International Visitor Leadership Program for Women in Entrepreneurship, the premier cultural program offered by the U.S.

As CEO of SOUTH AFRICA MAKES, Dr Riyad Domingo leads the company's long-term growth strategy, including its public-private partner research division where he guides product development and marketing functions of the company. With digital manufacturing set to disrupt a range of industries - from healthcare to nutrition to pharma - additive manufacturing has emerged as a viable alternative for sustainable entrepreneurship in emerging economies with a conservative valuation estimate hovering around $100 billion by 2023. With his in-depth knowledge of global trends and first-hand experience designing and guiding biotechnology solutions in Africa, Dr Domingo has the unique capacity to lead the #3D4D vision and see it realized in communities where it is needed the most.

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Prior to SOUTH AFRICA MAKES, Dr Domingo was a postdoctoral research fellow and earned his PhD in Medical Biochemistry at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town. Dr Domingo has recently been elected as a Harvard South Africa Fellow for 2021-2022 and has also received awards from the Department of Science and Technology, National Research Foundation, Medical Research Council and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. He has also been invited to present at numerous prestigious peer-reviewed conferences around the world including “Global Challenges in the 21st Century” and more recently as an expert on “Future-proofing Africa for the Fourth Industrial Revolution” on behalf of the United States Consulate General in Cape Town.