PAST welcomes new CEO, Dianne van der Tuin
Dianne joins the Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST) as Chief Executive Officer, bringing 18 years of leadership experience spanning strategic development, environmental campaigning, fundraising, communications, and partnership building.
Dianne built her career in organisations including Greenpeace, Save the Children, and Primedia, focusing on connecting people, ideas, and resources to drive meaningful social impact. She has successfully mobilized significant funding, led complex multi-stakeholder initiatives, and built strong collaborations with corporate, institutional, philanthropic, and government partners.
She looks forward to combining her mixing pot of experience and capabilities to lead the PAST team, and to make South Africa’s rich fossil heritage accessible.
Dianne’s connection to PAST began in 2017 when she worked alongside the PAST team to elevate awareness of its scientific achievements through national media platforms and public engagement initiatives, including the unveiling of the renowned Little Foot skeleton. The first time she “met” Taung Child, she experienced a profound sense of connection that was hard to shake. “It gave me a deep sense of perspective about our shared human story and the extraordinary privilege of learning from those who came before us, this is something I want to bring to children and youth across South Africa”.