aBr May 2014 | Page 10

w h at ’ s t h e B u z z ? SA entrepreneur lectures at University of Oxford’s business school Well-known South African entrepreneur Allon Raiz was recently invited to present a series of master classes related to entrepreneurship over four days at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The series of lectures was open to undergraduates, postgraduates, and particularly targeted to MBA students. On his return, Raiz said, “Being surrounded by top-flight academics who showed a genuine interest in how Raizcorp approaches the problems confronting entrepreneurs was a privilege for which I am extremely grateful. As an internationally regarded expert in the field of entrepreneurship, Raiz’s lectures attracted a wide audience that included Oxford University faculty and visiting academics from around the world. As a result of these lectures, Raiz has been invited to present a further series of lectures in 2015. The four lectures he delivered covered topics including: Building the Raizcorp Prosperation Model; Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made; The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa; and Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Raiz’s insight into the issues surrounding entrepreneurship and innovation, as shown during his lectures and interactions with faculty and students, led to his being named as the Oxford Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence. I was taken aback by the high level of awareness amongst the audience, not only of general entrepreneurship issues, but specifically of Raizcorp and the South African context. I learned more from the wide-ranging questions that were put to me by students and faculty members than I could have hoped for, and as a result, I am bringing many new ideas and approaches back to Raizcorp.” June 3 - 4, 2014 Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa