South African MBA Student Wins Global Challenge

VENTURES AFRICA – It is two in a row for the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) after MBA student Brigitte Roediger was chosen as joint winner of the Association of MBAs’ 2013 Global AMBAssador Challenge.

With this achievement Roediger, who is the USB’s Global AMBAssador, follows in the footsteps of Gretchen Arangies, the USB’s previous Global AMBAssador and 2012 winner of the challenge. Arangies is head of Services at the University of Stellenbosch’s Bellville Park Campus where USB is situated. In participating in the Global AMBAssador Challenge, MBA students are expected to do research and write a story about an entrepreneur. Roediger chose to feature USB alumnus Mignon Hardie, who runs the FunDza Literacy Trust, which promotes reading and literacy.

Roediger shares the 2013 award with Davina McCormick, MBA student at Queensland University of Technology Business School in Australia.

Chief Executive of the Association of MBAs, Andrew Main Wilson, said in a press release: “Brigitte’s interview demonstrated how sheer passion and determination by Mignon Hardie created a value-based organisation dealing with social issues. This is the second year in which the University of Stellenbosch Business School AMBAssador has won the challenge. It was extremely competitive and our judges had a difficult time selecting the final two, which is testimony to the sheer talent of the Global AMBAssadors.”

Conveying the good news to Roediger, AMBA’s Stephanie Akinyelure wrote: “Well done for a fantastic write-up and inspiring social business story. The judges were highly complementary of the business and how you articulated the story through your article.”

Roediger’s reward is to attend the Principles for Responsible Managemant Education (PRME) summit in Slovenia between 25 and 27 September this year where she will also get an opportunity to host or facilitate a roundtable discussion.

USB manager: Stakeholder Relations, Edith Kennedy, said: “This is a very good accolade for USB. It shows what our MBAs are capable of.”

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