The 35th Annual SAIMS Conference 2024 was hosted by the Department of Business Management at Stellenbosch University, from 8 to 11 September 2024 at STIAS (Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study).
During a gala dinner event at the Morgenhof Wine Estate on 10 September, Prof Farrington, along with co-authors Riyaad Ismail and Atlehang Nkotha, received the Best Paper Award for their work titled "Conceptualising a university-based student entrepreneurial ecosystem framework (U-B(S)EE)". Their framework promises significant practical implications for university stakeholders by enhancing understanding of system elements and their interactions, and by providing a foundation for evaluating existing U-B(S)EEs.
Meanwhile, Prof Venter was awarded the SAIMS Lifetime Achievement Award. This accolade acknowledges her longstanding dedication to SAIMS and her substantial contributions to Management Sciences in South Africa. Elmarie has been a member of SAIMS since 1998 and was the Chairperson of the Board of directors of SAIMS from 2010-2015. In addition, she was the Organiser and Conference Chair of the SAIMS Annual Conference in 2009 and 2019. Her impact extends beyond academia, having consulted to and supported hundreds of family businesses across South Africa. This marks only the second time SAIMS has bestowed its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
Prof Venter and Prof Farrington are also founding members of the Nelson Mandela Family Business Unit. Between the two of them, they have won more than eight SAIMS Best Paper Awards.