Melanie Kemp Hofmeyr, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Southern African Bitumen Association (SABITA) and President of the South African Road Federation (SARF). She is a Professional Engineer and infrastructure leader with extensive experience in South Africa’s transport and infrastructure sector.

Melanie holds a Master of Science in Engineering (MScEng) from Stellenbosch University and has held a number of senior leadership roles within the Western Cape Government: Department of Infrastructure, including her role as Specialist Engineer in the Office of the Head of Department, following various senior management positions within the Department.

With a career spanning strategic planning, programme delivery, pavement engineering, asset management, governance, disaster response and institutional leadership, Melanie has built a strong reputation for collaborative leadership and industry engagement across both the public and private sectors. Her experience extends across the planning, design, maintenance and management of transport infrastructure, as well as broader infrastructure policy, resilience and organisational development.

Melanie has been actively involved in numerous national and international industry, technical and professional forums. Her contributions include leadership and participation through SABITA, SARF, CAPSA, COTO committees, the UCT Civil Engineering Advisory Board and a range of transport, infrastructure, and resilience-focused initiatives. A regular contributor to industry dialogue, she has presented at various national and international conferences, forums and technical events on topics relating to transport infrastructure, asset management, disaster management, climate resilience, infrastructure sustainability, skills development and institutional capacity building.

Known for her strategic and systems-based approach, Melanie is passionate about strengthening infrastructure institutions, fostering industry partnerships, advancing technical excellence, and supporting long-term sector growth and innovation. Her leadership philosophy is centred on collaboration, stewardship and the belief that every person in the transport ecosystem counts. She advocates for strong governance, knowledge sharing and investment in people as key enablers of resilient and sustainable infrastructure networks.

Through her work, Melanie continues to support the development of a more connected, sustainable and resilient transport and infrastructure ecosystem, recognising the critical role that infrastructure plays in enabling economic growth, social development and improved quality of life across Southern Africa, and the world.