Academia’s “best kept secret” is rising like a phoenix after the pandemic. The prestigious North-West University (NWU) Business School held a Brag & Brand function in Potchefstroom on Monday, 26 April that was attended by lecturers, staff and alumni.

Prof Linda du Plessis, acting vice-chancellor of the NWU, welcomed guests and said “a good school should have legitimacy”. She boasted that the NWU Business School had achieved accreditation for another five years from the Association of MBAs.

Chief director Prof Jan van Romburgh addressed the guests and said that Prof Raymond Parsons, also of the school, described the school as the country’s best kept secret. He said he did not agree with that statement as “the school has to reward their success”. Under Covid, all meetings had taken place via Zoom – now the school wanted to rise again like the immortal horse from Greek mythology, Phoenix. “We have to be going out to people,” he said.

“We need interaction. Tonight’s function is about our brand, which symbolises quality and excellence. That is how people perceive the school,” Prof Van Romburgh said. He highlighted their accolades. “We were placed first in Africa by the Business Graduates Association, and the school will have triple-crown accreditation by 2025 and will be placed in the top 50 in the world. The school has received a 40% increase in MBA applications and handles 16 doctorates per annum.”

Prominent alumni took to the stage to describe their time studying at the school and what they had achieved thanks to the school.

• Arrie Rautenbach, CEO: Absa, thanked the school for preparing him and preparing other young minds for the future.
• Dr Alistair Mokoena, CEO: Google Africa, grew up in Bophuthatswana and said the school prepared him for life’s challenges. His company was trying to bring internet to Africa.
• Mayleen Kyster, Director: African Steel Holdings, found her home at the school when she did her MBA. She now leads a steel company that is dominated by men.
• Molato Tshabalala, Free State Department of Sport, said the school showed him how to rise above his circumstances. He compared his life to a community who had to adapt after their only cow died. The school showed him how to adapt.

 Mayleen Kyster, Molato Tshabalala, Prof Jan van Romburgh, Dr Alistair Mokoena and Arrie Rautenbach attended the Brag & Brand function of the NWU Business School.