Frederik De Ridder

Erik received an MPhil in Technology Policy from Homerton College at the University of Cambridge andholds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town, with a second major in Economics.Erik has 10-year's experience in the private sector funding and finance building, technology, and industrialcompanies. He has also served in several executive and advisory board roles. Erik’s specialisms includestrategy, operations and finance, with specific professional interests focused on developmental finance for SMEs and in the space and aerospace sectors.

He has been an advisory board member of the engineering faculty and civil engineering department at the University of Cape Town for several years. He has, and as an international advisory board member for advanced manufacturing businesses in the United States and Switzerland.As a student, Erik was a member of the Students’ Representative Council at the University of Cape Town (2010) and was an organiser and spokesperson for several non-partisan national campaigns around social justice, equality, and democracy before and during the 2014 national elections in South Africa.‍