UCD Smurfit Business School study tour to South Africa

The UCD Smurfit Business School visited South Africa with a group of 26 MBA graduates from 7-14 March 2015. This study tour was their first to South Africa and included visits to Johannesburg and Cape Town. The Embassy was happy to support the visit and assisted in finalising their itinerary.

The Johannesburg section of the tour included a presentation by Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Manager, on EI’s role in sub-Saharan Africa and on the business potential in this region for Irish companies.

The Johannesburg Chapter of Business Ireland Southern Africa (BISA) hosted the group at a networking event at the offices of Enterprise Ireland and ESB International in Johannesburg. Tony McCullagh, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy Pretoria, attended this event. Mark Peters, who has a long association with South African business schools and with the Irish business community in South Africa, gave a presentation on “Strategic Management Challenges in the African Emerging Market”.

While in Johannesburg the group also paid a visit to the offices of Kentz, founded in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in 1919 and now part of one of the largest engineering and construction companies operating in Africa.

During their visit to Cape Town the Cape Town Chapter of BISA hosted a networking function for the group. The group are also scheduled to meet with representatives of some of South Africa’s leading companies who are based in Cape Town, including the “Pick and Pay” supermarket chain and South African Breweries (SAB).

The UCD group expressed their appreciation for the assistance and support provided by the Embassy, BISA and EI during the course of their tour and indicated that they hoped to include South Africa as a regular destination for future study tours.