Jayne believes research in healthcare needs better funding and strong minds. Since joining in 2015,she has grown The Noakes Foundation into one of the key research funders in South Africa, an entity that is changing the way the nation eats. As the Chief Operating Officer of The Noakes Foundation she established Eat Better South Africa alongside inspiring colleagues and Prof Noakes.

Most recently she was appointed as Managing Director of the Nutrition Network, where she has taken the lead in the process and creation of this educational and networking platform founded by The Noakes Foundation in partnership with an esteemed team of doctors and scientists.

After realizing the dichotomy between brand research budgets and human health research, she decided to leave the corporate research world and took the leap into medical and biological research to bring her experience in big biz research into new areas to affect change to human health.

Jayne is an MBA, High Dip in Marketing and International Relations graduate. She began her career taking products into Africa and researching local markets in the West and East African block and later moved to the UK to read for an MBA at Leeds University, later conducting Pan European media research and strategy evaluation. She is also a Mind Body Medicine Practitioner, a barefoot dancer and a mom.

Jana Retief, Foundation Manager at The Noakes Foundation, brings a diverse background with experience in the NGO and educational sectors. Alongside her M.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies and a postgraduate degree in Psychology, Jana’s diverse expertise encompasses community development, project management, research coordination, and operations management.

She has a passion for helping people live happy and healthy lives and is dedicated to driving positive change in the fields of nutrition and mental health.

Maritza is a passionate and dedicated individual who has a passion for health and fitness. She believes in the importance of self-care and enjoys working with people, inspiring and motivating them to love themselves a little more each day. She is very excited to be part of The Noakes Foundation team as the Junior Administration and Communications Executive. She is also a mom of two beautiful children.

Karen has a PhD degree in exercise physiology from the University of Cape Town and brings over 15 years of research and communication experience from both corporate and academic environments. She has managed global projects for market research agencies and has provided medical and health related research, insights, and copywriting to support the introduction of telemedicine in South Africa. With a keen interest in digital health, Karen also has experience in health risk management and coaching via AI and science-backed personalised health education.

Karen is a passionate health advocate; a scientist at heart; a cheerleader for the importance of sustainable health habits and a strong believer in the power of research and engagement to motivate and improve health and well-being.