He has work experience in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as an academic, professional and as a consultant in various activities and industries, including in the corporate sector in the fields of regional economic development, real estate development, building and mining, and process engineering. Before joining Hong Kong University, he lectured at the University of Canberra in Australia, and previously at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Dr. Pretorius holds a BSc in Quantity Surveying and a Masters in Business Administration (Witwatersrand) and a PhD in Real Estate Finance (Hong Kong).