Dr Valanathan (Val) Munsami is Chief of Science at the Saudi Space Commission. Prior to this, he was the CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) for five years, ending in February 2022. He was also a member of the South African Council for Space Affairs (SACSA). Much earlier, Dr Munsami worked in South Africa’s secretariat for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and managed the implementation of a suite of bilateral and multilateral science and technology agreements. He was involved in the development of South Africa’s National Space Strategy, National Space Policy, Multi-Wavelength Astronomy Strategy and the SKA Readiness Strategy for Africa. He chaired the African Union Space Working Group (AUSWG), which was tasked with the development of the African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy; facilitated the development of an Implementation Plan for the African Union Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA); and conceptualized the model for the Pan African University Institute for Space Science (PAUSS) of the African Union. He is inducted as an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). He previously served as the Chancellor of the International Space University (ISU), Strasbourg, France.