Joy, laughter, pride, and excellence were in the air as the Department of Business Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of Pretoria (UP) celebrated the remarkable achievements of its top students.

More than 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students were rewarded for academic excellence in various programmes and modules. The Department of Business Management offers an array of programmes – including Supply Chain Management, Business Management, and Communication Management and Entrepreneurship – across various levels of study.

Held at Loft at Nine in Menlo Park, this was a particularly special event, as it was the first in-person prize-giving ceremony since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his welcome address, Professor Alex Antonites, Head of the Department of Business Management, urged the recipients to be in constant pursuit of new knowledge and innovation that will solve society’s problems.

“Keep on learning; keep on leading others; never stop learning,” he said. “We need your innovation and intellect. We look forward to seeing you excel and being a champion in the industry.”

Prof Antonites thanked the family members of the recipients who were in attendance and expressed his gratitude to the department’s academic staff for their dedication to excellence and for nurturing the intellectual talent of the students.

“You have shaped these bright minds – congratulations to you too,” he said.

Dr Ben Kruger, an alumnus of the Department of Business Management who is widely respected in the industry, delivered the keynote address. Having enjoyed an illustrious career in the banking sector and occupying several executive positions, Dr Kruger was well-placed to pass pearls of wisdom on to the recipients. He serves as Chair of the UP Council and is the Non-Executive Director of the Standard Bank Group.

Dr Kruger encouraged the students to be agents of change and to use their knowledge and creativity to tackle inequality. He added that while much progress had been made in addressing inequality over the past 30 years of South Africa’s democracy, there is much work to be done.

“There is no quick fix to inequality,” he said. “This is one of the huge challenges of our time.”

Despite these challenges, Dr Kruger urged the recipients to be optimistic about the country and to look ahead as they envision the next 30 years, which he said should focus on addressing high debt, building social cohesion, and addressing inequality and poverty.

“With your education, you will be able to address these issues,” he said. “Be the change you want to be and live with integrity. Success is not final.”

Dr Kruger added that the pursuit of knowledge requires a curious mind that will spark innovation and drive change.

“Curiosity is what you need in order to ascend to greater heights. Your challenge for the next 30 years is change. Remember that the pace of change differs.”

Drishal Moodley, recipient of the Professor Alex Antonites Achievement Award for the top academic performance in the MPhil Strategic Management programme, offered a vote of thanks on behalf of the recipients. He thanked the academic staff for moulding them and playing an instrumental role in their chosen career paths.

“To our lecturers and all the EMS academic staff here today, think of today as a reminder of why you put up with our unrelenting emails, frantic pleas for deadline extensions and our sometimes-questionable logic in assignments,” Moodley said. “Remember, for every hair-pulling moment, there’s a student out there who has found their path because of you.”

He added that his university experience was fulfilling, and provided invaluable life lessons beyond academic knowledge.

“We’ve learned to persevere, to support one another and to celebrate every small victory along the way,” Moodley said. “So to the recipients, let’s carry forward the lessons and the indomitable spirit we’ve cultivated here. Remember, we are not just graduates; we are trailblazers, even though imposter syndrome might tell you otherwise.”

The prizes were sponsored by numerous sponsors including Cengage Learning (EMEA) Ltd; JUTA; AGL Group; McGraw-Hill Education, VSC Solutions and lecturers in the department.