Maurice Radebe appointed as the Head of the Wits Business School
- Wits University
The University of the Witwatersrand is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Maurice Radebe as the new Head and Director of the Wits Business School (WBS).
Radebe is currently the Executive Vice-President of the Energy Business at Sasol Ltd. He has previously served as the Group Executive: Corporate Affairs, Stakeholder Relations and Enterprise Development, as well as the Managing Director of Sasol Oil Ltd.
Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Adam Habib says: “Maurice Radebe is a fantastic choice to lead the Wits Business School. A business school is meant to train a new generation of corporate leaders. Radebe brings a wealth of experience as a highly-acclaimed leader in the private sector as well as an academic leader in the university system. This combination is exactly what is required for the future of the WBS.”
Radebe is an alumnus of the WBS, having graduated with two qualifications - the Management Advancement Programme and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). He had previously also obtained a Higher Diploma for educators of adults at Wits. He has maintained his ties with the WBS through participating in occasional lectures, public events and being instrumental in establishing the African Energy Leadership Centre.
The Vice-Principal and Vice-Chancellor: Designate, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi adds: “In a rapidly changing world, it is essential for the private and public sectors, and academia, to forge strong partnerships that will help us to reimagine the futures that we want, and to craft solutions that will ultimately benefit society. The WBS should serve as the nexus between academia and business, and Maurice Radebe is the ideal catalyst to effect positive change to shape our future economy.”
Radebe brings with him over three decades of experience in the corporate sector. But his vision encompasses more than strengthening the WBS to be a world-class Business School. He has strong views on the need for a clear common purpose for South Africa, what its elements could be and the imperative role that education will play in building our future economy. He is deeply committed to the socio-economic transformation of South Africa and has made great strides in working towards this goal. He is also passionate about leadership and gender equality and invests his own time and resources in providing young people with the skills to be successful.
His experience in the corporate sector, along with his long-standing partnership with the WBS makes him an ideal candidate to lead the School in the next phase.
Radebe will start as the new Head of School and Director on 1 January 2021. In the interim, Professor Jannie Rossouw will continue to serve as the Acting Head of the School.