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NWU Business School
Watch our overview video >>
Over the last year and a half, our Business School has attained a new level of governance and autonomy within the bigger North-West University. This includes a change in reporting lines from the newly designated “Chief Director” to the NWU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for VP and planning, which is the same as the reporting lines for deans of other faculties at the NWU. This was coupled with increased financial autonomy in terms of approval levels.
The Executive Education division, which was part of the Unit for Continued Education, was moved back to the Business School to be managed separately in order to enhance financial autonomy.
OUR 5 YEAR PLAN
PROJECT PROTON
Watch our Project Proton video >>
At the NWU Business School we strive to change the way our students think about business. We want our students to become leaders; to acquire business skills, pioneering research and of course – to obtain an international accredited qualification.
The NWU Business School always thinks ahead and recently we had our annual strategy exercise. Our next five year plan, called ‘Project Proton’ was subsequently born. In a nutshell, our core business – also known as our “Proton” includes Teaching and Learning, Research and Expertise; and ultimately, our strive to shape executive minds in Africa.
Metaphorically, our core is supported by our electrons, which includes various initiatives and our accreditations. This safeguards, strengthen and provides reputability and credibility.
NWU BUSINESS SCHOOL BRANDING
We have redeveloped our new African-themed logo, which represents the Business School’s expansion of our “footprint” in Africa, but also the uniqueness of solutions we want to offer within a wider African sphere – not only with regard to specialised education for executives, but also to provide sustainable solutions and ideas for economic growth.
This has been rolled out in all platforms of marketing and communication. Through this, we want to be known as a Business School leader in Africa.
INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITIES
Our Business School has sites of formal delivery in two provinces:
Mahikeng
Potchefstroom
Vanderbijlpark
We offer well-equipped libraries, lecture rooms, and offices for lecturers and administrative staff on each campus.
As a result of the Covid pandemic, we have equipped certain facilities as so-called “zoom rooms”, where a blended approach of physical presence and online availability were combined.
SBAB SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY BUREAU
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The NWU Business School embraces the needs of the small business sector through an entrepreneurial focus in a developing country context. Therefore, we have the Small Business Advisory Bureau or SBAB – a non-profit, service organisation for small, medium and micro-enterprises, as part of the Business School. It is the oldest and largest tertiary small business institute in Southern Africa.
The primary aim of the SBAB is to promote the establishment of new small businesses and to improve the efficiency of existing SMMEs in Southern Africa.
Two projects that are in the development phase are the Business Clinic for SMME’s on campus as well as the involvement of “unemployed” new graduates as mentors for start-ups.
MBA &
PGDM
OUR FLAGSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
With an MBA qualifications from the NWU Business School, you will walk away with real-world skills, international accreditation and pioneering research.
MBA & PGDM
OUR FLAGSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
With an MBA qualifications from the NWU Business School, you will walk away with real-world skills, international accreditation and pioneering research.
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND SHORT LEARNING PROGRAMMES
Watch our video >>
Our Executive Education includes courses such as:
• Project Management & Advanced Project Management;
• Fundamental Management,
• Middle Management,
• Advanced short learning programme on Management Strategy.
Our other Short Learning Programmes are very popular nationally and internationally. To name but a few, we offer courses in:
• Business Management,
• Emotional Intelligence,
• Human Resource Management,
• Operations Management,
• Finance for non-financial managers
CENTRE FOR CORRUPTION & INTEGRITY STUDIES
Corporate failures and commercial crimes, like fraud and corruption, continue to impede economic growth and social stability in South Africa. The NWU Business School has a strong commitment in alleviating these problems through the initiatives of its newly established Centre for Corruption and Integrity Studies. These initiatives include:
• The upskilling and professionalization of commercial forensic practitioners through the offering of several short learning programmes;
• Research in the field of commercial crime, commercial forensic practice and corporate governance;
• The creation of awareness regarding fraud and corruption, through our webinars, engagements with the media and the co-hosting of a national symposium on financial crime with important role players in the industry, including the banking sector, the insurance industry and relevant regulatory and investigative governmental entities;
• Collaboration with national and international role players, including universities, NGO’s, professional bodies and governmental entities.
AFRICANISATION
Our slogan of ‘shaping executive minds in Africa’ comes to fruition in our genuine and demonstrated sincere internationalisation drive, focusing on Africa first. The NWU Business School has extended its international collaborations and offerings to Business Schools in Africa. Our ‘Business in Africa’ webinars with renowned African international guest speakers, attended by both national and international viewers, provide a collaborative platform for thought provoking business discussions.
The offering of Project Management as a remote Short Learning Programme was successfully delivered in Nigeria and Kenya, aiming to follow suite with Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Namibia.
We have also initiated and signed various Memorandums of Understanding with local role players, organisations and institutions.
This include:
- The Gauteng Department of Economic Development
- Institute for Technology Strategy and Innovation
- National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Richards Bay Alloys Proprietary Limited
- African Institute for Supply Chain Research
- Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority
- Thinking Fusion Africa
Internationally, we have signed MOU’s with universities, colleges and business schools where we don’t only share our expertise and knowledge, but also learn from our international colleagues. Such MOU’s were undertaken in countries like Vietnam, Uruguay, Russia, India and Lesotho.
African Bon-Bons
As part of our supporting electrons, our Business School launched a few initiatives where thought leadership is cultivated. These platforms allow us to delve into our African footprint and also give us the opportunity to plough back into the community.
One of these platforms is our African Bon-Bons initiative, where our experts conduct short video interviews with other international experts about current affairs such as economic-, environmental-, financial-, and political issues – to name but a few.
The idea is that, by hearing first-hand from the voices of Africa – their concerns, their needs – we will be in a position to provide innovative ideas to change Africa for the better. These video interviews are also available as audio podcasts.
Just as a Bon-Bon candy is small and bursting with flavour, such is the idea with this initiative: compacted but sting suggestions for Africa by Africa.
OUR PITSO INITIATIVE
Another metaphoric electron we are proud of, is our “Pitso” webinar series. A Pitso is an African concept, where an African leader gathers or calls on stakeholders and experts to mediate, deliberate and decide on a matter. Our Pitso webinars are designed to be highly responsive, to the point, high quality interviews of thought leaders by staff members of the NWU Business School. We aim to stimulate critical, open and honest debate on topical issues pertinent to the South African business community and society at large, as well as that of the broader African continent.
Recent examples of Pitsos include the socio-economic effect of the recent ransomware attack on Transnet; opportunities for private generation of electricity and the impact of the recent civil discontent on foreign direct investment.
This Pitso project is also done via a virtual video platform.
Audience members in 2021
While our Pitso’s are based on burning current issues, we also created something that caters for academics, political and business leaders, researchers, and postgraduate students, where they could have the opportunity to join a virtual, online table and discuss the most important socio-economic issues in South Africa. We call it our Think Tank webinars.
Here topical issues affecting business and society are debated and analySed by a panel of experts from industry and academia, where-after attendees are allowed to engage with the panel members in a Q and A session.
Recent topics of these Think Tanks included the use of lifestyle audits to curb corruption, the state of local government, crypto assets, and state funding of tertiary education in South Africa.
Discussing the most important economic issues in South Africa.
Topics include:
- Political stability and democracy in SA
- The combatting of corruption in SA
- NSFAS and the funding of tertiary education
- Cryptocurrencies
- Statist-individualistic constitutionalism
Think Tanks
Audience members in 2021
ADVISORY
BOARD
MEMBERS
OUR EXPERTS ARE THE FINEST IN THE FIELD
Prof Raymond Parsons
Advisory Board Chairman
Prof Raymond Parsons is currently the Advisory Board Chairman at the NWU Business School. He studied economics at the Universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Copenhagen, before playing a leading role in organized business in SA for many years. Professor Parsons was the Overall Business Convenor at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) until 2010, which is the major social dialogue institution in South Africa. He is a former Director-General of the SA Chamber of Business. In 2017 ESSA conferred honorary life membership on him in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the economics profession in SA. He was also a director of the SA Mint.
Prof Linda du Plessis
Deputy Vice-Chancellor VP and Planning
Prof Linda du Plessis recently served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the North-West University. After starting her career in Information Technology as a programmer, she left the industry to teach in the higher education sector. She obtained her Master’s degree in Information Technology and completed her PhD at the then PU for CHE, and a second Doctorate at the University of Bath (UK). She made history by being the first-ever female vice-rector at the NWU’s campus in Vanderbijlpark. She has contributed to various national and international publications and is well known for her dedication and focus when overseeing high-level projects.
Christo Botes
Consultant Business Partners
Christo Botes is a small business consultant and mentor with more than 35 years’ experience in financing and consulting formal SME businesses. He graduated at the University of Stellenbosch and did his post graduate studies at University of South Africa. After completing his accounting learnership contract at PwC he became a business advisor at Business Partners Limited in 1986. Christo served on the executive management team of the company for 26 years. He was the National President of the AHI and also served on the board of BUSA for two years and has been on the advisory board of the North-West University Business School since 2013.
Stavros Nicolaou
Senior Executive Strategic Trace, Aspen Pharmacare
Stavros Nicolaou is the Aspen Pharmacare Group’s Senior Executive responsible for Strategic Trade Development. Aspen is one of South Africa’s most globalised multinational companies with 26 manufacturing facilities across 6 continents. He has over 30 years’ experience in the South African and International Pharmaceutical Industry and has won SA Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) Health Care Marketer of the year Award. He also received the Monte Rubenstein Award for proficiency in Pharmaceutics from the Wits University Pharmacy Faculty. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA), and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in Medicine from Wits University.
Kgosi Moshe Mabe
Chairperson North West Provincial House of Traditional Leaders
Kgosi Moshe Mage is the chairperson of the North West House of Traditional Leaders. He is no stranger to serving in important roles. He has been elected for three consecutive terms as the chairperson of the North West Provincial House of Traditional Leaders. His leadership stretches over 20 years as Kgosi of Batlhako Ba Matutu in Mabeskraal. He has served as a member of the Invest North West board and was chairperson of the North West Provincial Heritage Agency for three years.
Charlotte Mokoena
Advisory Board Deputy Chair
Ms Charlotte Mokoena is the Executive Vice-President for Human Resources and Corporate Affairs at SASOL. She is responsible for the design of global strategies, policies and frameworks that enable the organisation to attract, develop and retain key talent. Her remarkable career has transcended industries, portfolios and traditional silos that often lead to a disconnect between employees, stakeholders, culture and business objectives. Charlotte’s deep and wide experience spans over 25 years, in Strategic HR, Organisational Capability Development, Leadership Development, Stakeholder Relations, Corporate Reputation Management, Customer Experience Management, Corporate Social Impact (CSI), and Management Consulting.
Dr Alistair Mokoena
Country Director for Google South Africa
Dr. Alistair Mokoena, a proud father of two, is the Country Director for Google South Africa. He is a qualified Chartered Marketer with 25 years corporate experience. His academic qualifications include; BCom, LLB, MDP, MBA and PhD in Business Administration from the NWU Business School. Alistair was a Brand Manager at Unilever, Senior Brand Manager at Tiger Brands, Marketing Manager SABMiller, and Marketing Director at Mondelez and Absa bank respectively.
Mzolisi Diliza
Executive Chairman Strategic Partners Group (Pty) Ltd
Mzolisi Diliza holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Administration (Honours) degrees from the Universities of Rhodes and Stellenbosch. He participated in many Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) initiatives and served on the BEE Commission. He is also director of a number of companies. He is the former Chief Executive of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa and became the first black person to occupy such a position. He is the Founder and current Group CEO of Strategic Partners Group (Pty) Ltd – a broad-based black economic empowerment partner in the Bombela Concession Company.
Len Hansen
Human Resources Consultant Astral Operations Limited
Len Hansen studied at the University of Pretoria and Rand Afrikaanse University and completed BA and MComm degrees as well as a Teachers Diploma and Management Development Certificate. His career commenced at Iscor(Ltd) where he headed up the training division where after he worked at Vleissentraal as Head of the Training and Development Division, and also as Human Resources Manager. The last 15 years he spent with Astral Foods( Ltd), the largest poultry and animal feed company in South Africa, as Human Resources Director. Len has retired 5 years ago, but has been utilized as consultant and still serve on the Social and Ethics Committee of Astral Foods(Ltd).
Ali Parry
Trade Matters (Pty) Ltd (Minutes Secretary)
Ali Parry is the director of Trade Matters (Pty) Ltd, a company providing research, consulting and writing/editing services, with a special focus on economic development and international trade. Previously, she was an executive director of the International Trade Institute of Southern Africa (ITRISA). Ali has impressive research credentials, and has participated in numerous projects aimed at building the knowledge and expertise of international trade policymakers and practitioners in South Africa. She holds a BA degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is also an external moderator for the NWU School of Economics and is a full member of the Professional Editors’ Guild.
Prof Jan van Romburgh
Chief Director NWU Business School
Prof Jan van Romburgh (CA (SA)) is the Chief Director at the NWU Business School. He holds a Master of Commerce in Management Accounting and is a member of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). With numerous years of experience in forensic accounting investigations in the public and private sectors, he successfully started the NWU’s forensic accounting programme in 2006. He also previously served as the acting dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and the director of the School of Accounting Sciences at the NWU.
Nico Vermeulen
Retired / Former Executive Director NAAMSA
Nico Vermeulen obtained degrees in Social Science and Commerce, majoring in Economics and Political Science, as well as an Honours degree in Business Administration at the University of Natal. Over the years, he served on the Board of Management of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the Council of Business Unity South Africa, and on the Board of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board of the NWU Business School and is involved, on a pro-bono basis, with the Road Safety Programme for South Africa and the International Chamber of Commerce.
Dewald Olivier
Chairman, NWU Business School Alumni Association Executive Officer, SA Feedlot Association
Dewald Oliver holds an LLB degree and Higher Diploma in Import & Export and an MBA (Cum Laude) from the NWU Business School. He is the current president of the Alumni of MBA’s at the NWU Business School. He is also a Member of the Institute of Directors and serves as director and trustee on several boards and trusts. Dewald was admitted as an attorney and later transitioned to the agriculture industry as legal advisor. After serving as Chief Operations Officer for a company, he started his own consulting and advisory business focussing on assisting small and medium businesses in agriculture to comply with the regulatory and non-regulatory traceability.
Jeremy Sampson
Managing Director Brand Finance Africa
Jeremy Sampson graduated from Canterbury College of Art, England, now the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), in visual communication. He founded and was the Executive Chairman of the Africa operations of the international branding group, Interbrand until October 2014, winning numerous awards along the way in the UK, USA and South Africa. In 2010 he was awarded the prestigious Financial Mail AdFocus Lifetime Achievement Award. He has presented many papers around the world. Today he is managing director of Brand Finance Africa the London based global group in 20+ countries. In addition he consults, mentors, advises, writes and speaks and is very active in the media.
Prof Babs Surujlal
Executive Dean Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the NWU
Prof Babs Surujlal is currently the Executive Dean in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University. He completed an Education Diploma at the Springfield College of Education, majoring in English and Afrikaans. He went on to complete his BCom degree at Unisa, majoring in Accounting and Economics. He completed an Advanced University Diploma in Public Administration and a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Durban-Westville (now University of KwaZulu-Natal). Thereafter, he completed his PhD in Sport Management at the Rand Afrikaans University.
CELEBRATING OUR ALUMNI
WE THANK THEM FOR BEING PART OF OUR LEGACY
Our alumni play a valuable and important role within our institution. On an ongoing basis, we celebrate their extraordinary professional achievements. They are the men and women who take our legacy into the world.
Through our “Graduway” networking system, we want to make our alumni part of a network and empower them with a platform where they can see and seize opportunities long after they have graduated.
GET TO KNOW SOME OF OUR ALUMNI
QUARTERLY
NEWSLETTERS
Four times a year, we publish a newsletter for our own colleagues, but also for the broader NWU community. The newsletter features all the highlights of the quarter and gives recognition to employees’ hard work.
Our latest newsletter included topics like:
DEVELOPING LEADERS IN THE MINING SECTOR
OUR PITSO INITIATIVE: DISCUSSING BURNING TOPICS
SHOWCASING OUR NEW MARKETING VIDEOS
QUARTERLY
NEWSLETTERS
Four times a year, we publish a newsletter for our own colleagues, but also for the broader NWU community. The newsletter features all the highlights of the quarter and gives recognition to employees’ hard work.
Our latest newsletter included topics like:
DEVELOPING LEADERS IN THE MINING SECTOR
OUR PITSO INITIATIVE: DISCUSSING BURNING TOPICS
SHOWCASING OUR NEW MARKETING VIDEOS
THANK YOU!
Thank you for taking this journey with us!
You are now welcome to download the official AABS documents here:
INTRODUCTION
STAKEHOLDERS
THE PORTFOLIO