Dr. Rob Adam is currently the Managing Director of the South African Radio Astronomy Observervatory (SARAO), which handles the development of the SKA in South Africa and the precursor projects sited there. Rob has variously worked in the fields of chemical engineering, nuclear and theoretical physics, before moving into astronomy and policy direction. He was also a member of the then-proscribed African National Congress (ANC), and served ten years imprisonment handed down by the apartheid government of South Africa. We talk to Dr. Adam about his work in using science to influence policy (and vice-versa), and the various projects he has helped to deliver over the years.