Professor Kogi Naidoo, a mindful leader, is a distinguished academic leader with over four decades of experience in higher education across South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. In recent roles, Kogi served as Professor and Academic Dean at Laurus Higher Education, the Institute of Health & Management, Director of Academic Development at Charles Sturt University and the University of Adelaide. Kogi is the Founder/Director of the Self Leaders Academy focusing on higher education consultancy focusing on Quality, Accreditation and Leadership. Director of her own consultancy, Self Leaders Academy, established in 2010, https://selfleadersacademy.com/about-kogi/#achievement and developed the Mentoring and Coaching Support program now in its third year (MACS).

As HERDSA President—the first woman of colour to hold the role in the Society’s 50-year history—Kogi has left a remarkable legacy. She introduced HERDSA’s five core values, led two strategic planning cycles, launched the Mentoring and Coaching Support program, expanded research grants and awards, and championed initiatives like HERDSA CONNECT BLOG and the 50-year history project. Under her leadership, HERDSA has grown stronger, more inclusive, and more future-focused.

Kogi has served on the HERDSA Executive Committee for several terms spearheading significant contributions in various portfolios. In 2004 Kogi was nominated to lead the HERDSA Fellowships and Professional Recognition Scheme portfolio and was the architect of the renewed HERDSA Fellowships. She held this role for 3 terms until 2010. From 2011 until 2025, Kogi took on the role of Lead of the HERDSA Awards, Grants and Prizes. She used the opportunity to enhance the application, review and reporting processes applying the principles of fairness, equity and transparency. From 2016 until 2020, Kogi served as Treasurer, again always ensuring that a long-term view of financial sustainability and transparency. The healthy financial state that HERDSA currently enjoys is because of vivid memories Kogi has of when HERDSA almost folded in 2008-2009. Her dedication, commitment and concern to leave HERDSA in a better place has always been her driving force.

As President (2021-2025) Kogi led several initiatives: instituting HERDSA’s 5 Values: Connection, Inclusion, Inquiry, Integrity and Quality; Mentoring and Coaching Support) program (inaugural in 2023, followed by MACS 2024 and 2025; introducing the HERDSA Research Grants (since 2020, 5 a year and now up to 10 a year); increasing the types and number of HERDSA Awards and Prizes to support early career academics and students to attend HERDSA conferences); instituted a new Leadership/ Service award that acknowledges long standing HERDSA members and established Group Memberships after a 2-year pilot initiative. The following contributions bear testimony to Kogi’s leadership achievements as President:

• Instituting HERDSA’s 5 Values: Connection, Inclusion, Inquiry, Integrity and Quality
• HERDSA’s Strategic Planning (2 cycles: 2021-2023 and the 2023-2025)
• Introducing the HERDSA Research Grants (since 2020, 5 a year and now up to 6 a year)
• Increasing the types and number of HERDSA Awards and Prizes (increased allocation including support for early career and supporting students to attend the conferences)
• Celebrating 50 Years of HERDSA that included the commissioning of the 50 History project
• Instituted a new Leadership/ Service award that acknowledges long standing HERDSA members leadership and service awards with the inaugural presentations made at the 50-year HERDSA celebration
• Initiatives such as HERDSA CONNECT Blog, HERDSA IT Project, Annual Membership Surveys,
• Renewal of Taylor and Francis Contract of HERD, our flagship journal
• Networking through approval of new SIGS (now we have 10 established SIGS)
• Group Memberships are now on offer after a 2-year pilot initiative, and
• Hosting the last few successful conferences in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and leading the planning of the 2026 HERDSA conference in Singapore.

Kogi has over four decades higher education teaching experience leading in the areas of academic development, research and quality assurance in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia (Adelaide and Charles Sturt). Her focus on the scholarship of teaching includes winning a national grant and as principal investigator lead a national team of all New Zealand universities investigating the impact of academic development on first-year student learning. The national project investigated the impact of academic support interventions on students. Kogi’s research interests include self-evaluation in academic development and institutional and curriculum quality assurance. Kogi’s postgraduate research includes a focus on self-evaluation programs for academic staff development and designing systemic academic course quality assurance mechanisms.

Kogi is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK (2016). She has numerous prestigious academic awards and fellowships, including the South African Junior Technikon Fellowship Award, the Ernest Oppenheimer Gold Medal and the South African Association for Research and Development in Higher Education (SAARDHE) Young Achiever Award. She was awarded the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Fellowship in 2003 and a Fellow of the 2023 cohort of the US Women Leaders for the World. Kogi’s most recent international recognition comes in the following two awards: Education 2.0 Global Leadership in Education Award presented at the Education 2.0 Conference, Dubai in 2024 for distinguished Leadership of Higher Education internationally.

Kogi’s leadership is marked by wisdom, compassion, and a deep commitment to equity and excellence. Her legacy is one of transformation, and her influence will continue to shape HERDSA and higher education for years to come. We celebrate Professor Kogi Naidoo—a truly deserving HERDSA Life Member.