Reena das Nair

Dr Reena das Nair is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) and Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the Master of Commerce in Competition and Economic Regulation programme at the University of Johannesburg.

Reena has worked for specialist economic consultancy Acacia Economics offering expertise in competition and regulatory economics. Prior to joining CCRED, Reena was Programme Manager: Industrial Policy at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), a not-for-profit research organisation undertaking research for policy makers. Before TIPS, she worked as Principal Economist at the Competition Commission of South Africa. She has extensive experience in undertaking investigations and economic analysis in mergers, abuse of dominance and cartel cases.

Reena holds a PhD (Economics) from the University of Johannesburg and a MCom (Economics) from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has published widely, including in the International Review of Applied Economics, Development Southern Africa and the Journal of Energy in Southern Africa. She has also co-authored chapters in HSRC Press, Wits University Press and Jacana Media book publications. Reena provides training for regulators and competition law and economics professionals in Southern and East Africa.

Her areas of research include competition dynamics in the grocery retail sector and food value chains, with a focus on barriers to entry for small and medium-sized enterprises and alternative routes to market in food systems. She is also researching the role technology in food systems and the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs in selected food value chains in South Africa.