Dr Tara Southey

CEO & Founder at TerraClim

Speaker

Dr. Tara Southey is the Founder and CEO of TerraClim (Pty) Ltd, a Stellenbosch University spin-out driving innovation in climate-smart, data-driven agriculture. With a PhD in Viticulture and Climate Science, her career has focused on understanding the impacts of climate variability and change on South Africa’s agricultural and wine sectors.

Through TerraClim, she has transformed years of research into a pioneering digital climate and terrain intelligence platform that integrates high-resolution data, satellite imagery, and analytics to support climate-resilient farming, ESG compliance, and investment decisions.

Dr. Southey has led flagship projects on climate risk, water use, and data accessibility, building some of the country’s most advanced climate databases and crop suitability models.

Guided by TerraClim’s purpose — to create and steward climate and terrain data solutions for better decision-making toward a sustainable future — she is committed to bridging science, industry, and policy. Her vision is to position TerraClim as a global leader in integrated climate and terrain intelligence, empowering African agriculture to thrive under a changing climate.