Season’s Greetings from the GSB Foundation

By on December 14, 2021 in News and Opinion
Season's Greetings 2021

Dear Friends of the GSB Foundation,

After another year of virtual learning and remote working around the globe, we are proud to bring you news of the GSB Foundation’s work during 2021, as well as something to celebrate from the ‘new-normal’ digital marketplace.

We do hope that you will take the opportunity to relax at this time, taking a well-earned rest after what has been a historically challenging year. With your support, we also hope that 2022 will be a year when your alma mater and its African home shine all the brighter.

Whereas many overseas campuses have opened up more quickly, GSB campus life has been 100% online in 2021, although that may change in the coming year. Nonetheless, graduate alumni continue to connect worldwide through the annual Alumni Reunion Weekend, which was a huge hybrid success. Also, we still get to celebrate the research outputs generated by the GSB: Aldi Schoeman (GSB MBA 2019/20) was the Winner of the 2021 Emerald/ AABS case study competition with her case study: “Cape Union Mart: Digital transformation and customer experience during a crisis”. Co-authored with Professor Geoff Bick and Claire Barnardo, this case study also features on the WHO global COVID-19 research library. GSB case studies continue to be met with acclaim, contributing the voice of developing markets to the international stage. We are super proud.

Our 2021 GSB Foundation scholars – three this year – have adapted well to the rigours of learning online and will be putting the finishing touches to their MBA dissertations as you read this. Although they have missed the collegiality of campus life this year, they have nonetheless taken full advantage of the opportunities a GSB MBA offers. These three young people bring us to a total of twenty recipients of the GSB Foundation scholarships since its start in 2017. We wish them all extremely well.

If you would like to support the GSB Foundation and give opportunities to more students who may not otherwise be able to access the GSB MBA, please consider our R100-a-month quest, which provides a consistent and vital flow of funds to the Foundation. It might not sound like much – but there are several thousand alumni who, together, could make a significant impact in the long run. Equally, if you know of anyone who would benefit directly from our GSB Foundation scholarships, full-time one-year MBA applications are still open. Once a student has been accepted, they can apply for the scholarship.

We would like to thank the GSB faculty academics, staff and students for their outstanding dedication to managing another academic year in challenging conditions and we also want to take this opportunity to thank our donors and partners for their generous support. Your contributions allow us to help students rise to their potential by benefiting from a world-class MBA programme at the GSB.

Best wishes for a happy holiday and a prosperous new year. Please stay safe and go well.

On behalf of the GSB Foundation trustees and team,

Linda Fasham
Linda Fasham
Executive Consultant

Highlights of UCT GSB 2021 Alumni Reunion Weekend: “Knowledge across disciplines”

By on December 10, 2021 in News and Opinion
GSB Alumni Reunion Weekend 2021 Summary

The UCT GSB 2021 Alumni Reunion Weekend took place 22–24 October 2021. “Knowledge across disciplines” was the theme of the weekend and invited speakers shared how leaders are responding to global challenges with a multi-disciplined approach. Of course, staple social activities like a Brig session and the 3Peaks Challenge were also on the agenda.

See here the highlights of the Alumni Reunion Weekend 2021:

It’s been that time of year again where UCT GSB Alumni of all programmes and graduating years gathered to enjoy the annual Alumni Reunion Weekend, held virtually for the second year in a row.

This year’s theme is “Knowledge across disciplines“. The speaker line-up included:

  • Ralph Mupita, CEO MTN;
  • Aidan Kearney, Strategy Director, EMEA Nike; and
  • Buhle Goslar, Jumo World CEO for Africa Region and Pakistan.

They were discussing how we can leverage technology to meet and find new customers and how to develop and build new leadership practices to maximise the benefits.

The event ran from Friday 22nd October (16:00 – 19:00), Saturday 23rd October (12:00 – 16:00), ending on Sunday 24th October with the 3Peaks Challenge – a GSB tradition held annually for the past 42 years!