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29 August 2024
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Story Anthony Mthembu
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Photo Harmse Photography
Ross van Reenen, CEO of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
The Business School at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted the CEO of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, Ross van Reenen, for a guest lecture. Van Reenen presented the guest lecture in the Business School Auditorium on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 21 August 2024.
Reflecting on Van Reenen’s address
In a lecture addressed to an auditorium filled with UFS staff and students, Van Reenen’s talk was divided into several sections. Firstly, he spoke about the concept of the ‘black swan’ in reference to the book written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, titled The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. Referring to Taleb’s book, Van Reenen defined a ‘black swan’ as a rare event that has a severe impact, and the occurrence of which people try to explain. He used some examples to explore this concept as well as its implications, including COVID-19 and its impact on the world, and the tragic death of the people in the Titanic disaster. However, he delved deeper into 9/11 and the extent of its impact, saying that “9/11 was a major wake-up call in the world economy”. Van Reenen highlighted how some companies such as Barclays, for which he previously consulted, had to work to be up and running after the collapse of the Twin Towers in 9/11.
In addition, Van Reenen’s lecture also touched on the importance of the first ninety days of a job after an individual has been employed. “Those first ninety days are crucial, as you have to establish yourself in a company where you are paid less than you are worth,” Van Reenen said. As such, he gave the audience insight into what they could focus on in that time frame. This includes focusing on the small wins, as well as ensuring that you are working at keeping the team together, as the team is an integral part of an organisation.
Van Reenen concluded his address by speaking about his time as the CEO of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, including some of the decisions he took to ensure the success of the organisation.
Another award proves quality of Architecture
2012-04-13
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Jurie Swart with Mrs Martie Bitzer, Head of the Department of Architecture.
Photo: Supplied
13 April 2012
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The Department of Architecture can be proud of its students. Recently, Jurie Swart was honoured as regional winner of the Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award. He was also placed second nationally.
Jurie is an architect at the The Roodt Partnership in Bloemfontein.
Corobrik says in a media release: “Tomorrow’s architects set new standards at 25th Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards. Achieving sustainable built environments with low impacts on the natural environment is becoming a universal goal. Energy usage in buildings is under the spotlight. Water-wise projects are most likely to get the go ahead. That is why an in-depth understanding of the environmental constraints and impacts of technologies on architectural solutions is becoming so important for students of architecture. It is the resolution of environmental issues that can be expected to drive architectural expression that will shape tomorrow’s buildings and the creation, extension and redevelopment of our towns and cities.”
Jurie Swart’s project, Borderline – mediated landscape, a Water Research Centre for the University of the Free State (Qwaqwa Campus), explores whether nature and architecture can amalgamate to become a hybrid solution in a vast landscape which has lost its reference to place and time.