Roger Jardine

William Rodger “Roger” Jardine (born 13 September 1965) is a South African business executive, former government official and leader of the political movement Change Starts Now.

At age 29, Jardine became the Director General of South Africa's Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, surpassing the previous record held by Niel Barnard. He contributed to policy work on nuclear disarmament in South Africa. and the first White paper on science and technology in 1996, which contributed to the later establishment of new research facilities and infrastructure such as the Southern African Large Telescope, Technology Innovation Agency and South African National Space Agency.

Jardine formerly served as the Chairperson of FirstRand, a financial institution, and formerly also Chair of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, a South African think tank. He stepped down from FirstRand in November 2023, and announced at the time "he wishes to explore options to best serve South Africa and this will require his full attention".

Early life and education

Roger Jardine was born in Riverlea, Johannesburg, to Bill Jardine and Anne Jardine. He has three brothers His father, Bill Jardine, was involved in anti-apartheid activism and contributed to sports unification in South Africa. During his high school years, Jardine was involved in anti-apartheid activities, including boycotts and protests against the tricameral parliament, and was an activist in the United Democratic Front (UDF). He earned his BSc in Physics from Haverford College in 1989 and his MSc in Radiological Physics from Wayne State University in 1991.

Public sector and policy work

After returning to South Africa in 1992, Jardine began a career in the public sector. In 1995, he was appointed director-general of South Africa's Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology. His responsibilities included reviewing science councils and addressing funding issues. Jardine has been vocal against corruption and leadership issues in South African politics and has spoken at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) Business School.

Corporate leadership

Jardine transitioned into the private sector, serving as CEO of Kagiso Media, Aveng Group, and Primedia. He was the chairperson of FirstRand, a financial institution that offers a range of financial services in South Africa and other African countries, between April 2018 and November 2023.

Change Starts Now

In December 2023, Jardine founded the political movement Change Starts Now, to contend in the 2024 national elections. Jardine launched the movement in Riverlea, in Johannesburg West. He formed the movement alongside former UDF leader and speechwriter Murphy Morobe, editor and activist Mark Heywood, Nicole Fritz of the Helen Suzman Foundation, and anti-apartheid activist and Nelson Mandela's former doctor, Dr Aslam Dasoo.

Philanthropy and community involvement

Jardine supports various charitable organizations and serves as the Chairman of the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE). He has also been involved in initiatives aimed at combating racism and xenophobia in Gauteng province.

Aveng

Roger Jardine was the CEO of Aveng Group between 2008 and 2013. During his tenure, the company faced allegations of collusion surrounding events that predated his appointment. Jardine stepped down after the completion of regulatory investigations.

Sports and rugby

The Jardine family has been involved in rugby. Roger Jardine served on the board of Sharks Rugby Union for over a decade.

Personal life

Roger has been married to Christa Kuljian for 32 years (1991). She is a writer and author of Sanctuary (Jacana, 2013) and Darwin’s Hunch(Jacana, 2016), which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award for Nonfiction in 2017. Christa is currently a Research Associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER). Her writing has appeared in many publications including the Mail and Guardian and The Johannesburg Review of Books. Christa was a Ruth First Fellow in 2010 and gave the Steve Biko Bioethics Lecture in 2023. They have two adult children.