The University of the Witwatersrand has announced that Dr Sibusiso Sibisi has been appointed as director and head of the Wits Business School (WBS) as of January 2018.
Dr Sibusiso Sibisi
Professor Imraan Valodia, dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand says: “It has been a long and extensive search to find the right person and the appointment panel is confident that we have found exactly what the WBS needs to take it forward now.
"Sibisi comes from a 14-year stint as president and CEO at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He is well known for having built it into a world-class research institution during his tenure. He brings that rare combination of a proven pedigree as a leader at the highest level, world-class research excellence and managerial strength that we have been looking for to lead the WBS. ”
In addition to his work at CSIR, Sibisi has also served on the boards of a number of commercial entities including Harmony Gold, African Rainbow Minerals, Murray and Roberts, and currently Liberty and Telkom-BCX. This experience will prove invaluable as the WBS continues to develop and advance its current and new offerings while strengthening its role within in the business community.
Sibisi obtained his PhD in mathematics from Cambridge University and has a keen interest in mathematics and finance – an area that the University is looking to grow. He previously held the position of deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He was a Fulbright Fellow at the California Institute of Technology in the late eighties and a senior research associate at Cambridge University in the early nineties.
“We believe that Sibisi’s strong strategic, leadership and operational skills, his experience and knowledge within the industry and his academic background are exactly the combination of factors that WBS needs to take it into its next growth phase. In addition, his track record of service to the community is exactly the type of person we want to head up the WBS as it positions itself as a key institution to work on the broader transformation and development agenda not only here in South Africa, but across the continent and beyond,” says Valodia.
