Prof. Wilma Viviers is an NRF-rated researcher and was (until her retirement in December 2024) research professor in the TRADE (Trade and Development) research focus area at the North-West University (NWU). She was also the holder of the WTO (World Trade Organization) Chair at the NWU from 2014 to 2024. Previously she served as the Director of TRADE from 2012 to 2019 and as the Director of the School of Economics from 2005 to 2012.

Prof. Viviers’ research and outreach activities over the years have focused on enhancing South Africa’s trade performance and competitiveness – both in a regional and global context. She was instrumental in introducing and overseeing the rollout of the TRADE-DSM® (Decision Support Model) in South Africa and several other countries. The TRADE-DSM® is a market selection tool designed to identify high-potential export opportunities with a view to informing countries’ and individual companies’ export diversification and expansion strategies.  Prof. Viviers has many journal articles and conference papers to her credit and is the editor and co-author of three scholarly books on export promotion and digital trade in Africa. A new (fourth) book titled ‘Increasing intra-African trade: Can the AfCFTA be the game changer?’ is due for publication in 2025. She is also the recipient of several awards and prizes, including a Fellowship from the International Trade Institute of Southern Africa (ITRISA), the ‘Women in Research Award’ from the South African Association of Women Graduates, five university teaching excellence awards, and the prestigious ‘Distinguished Women in Science Award’ first runner-up in the Humanities and Social Sciences category from the Department of Science and Technology.