A conversation worth having: What students need

By Blake Dyason

Feenix CEO Cara Petersen was recently on Radio 786 talking about what students are facing.

It was a important conversation. Behind the headlines about universities, NSFAS and student funding are young people trying to finish their studies, deal with financial pressure and find a way forward.

Listening to Cara speak, I found myself thinking about a conversation we had just a few days ago and the strange power of having the right people in the room at the right time.

CN&CO recently hosted the launch edition of The Insurance Conference in the Western Cape, bringing together people from across the insurance industry. One of our speakers was Stellenbosch University Registrar Dr Ronel Retief, who gave a brilliant, funny and thought-provoking talk about leadership in uncertain times.

She spoke candidly about the challenges facing universities and students, including the financial pressures and historic debt that can stand in the way of students completing their education. 

And sitting in the room was Feenix, with its stand and team right there.

That felt significant.

Here was someone talking about a challenge from inside the university system, and an organisation working every day to help students navigate some of those very challenges. Different perspectives, the same problem, in the same room.

Then Cara was on the radio, continuing the conversation about “What students are facing.”

This is one of the things I love about what we do at CN&CO. Our work isn’t just about campaigns, brands or communications. It is about people and the connections between them.

We get to work with organisations like Feenix, meet people like Ronel, bring different industries together through events like The Insurance Conference, and sometimes create the opportunity for conversations that might not otherwise happen.

And that matters because South Africa’s young people are worth investing in.

There is an enormous amount of talent, ambition and potential in our youth. These are our future employees, entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders. But potential needs opportunity, and sometimes there is a gap between the two.

Bridging that gap is something all of us can play a part in.

That is why I am proud that Feenix is a CN&CO client. Not because they are another organisation we get to work with, but because they are out there doing the work, on the ground, with students.

And, selfishly, I also really enjoy working with Cara and her team. Cara is an exceptional leader, and her young, energetic and smart team brings a real sense of purpose to what they do. It is another good reminder that great leadership comes in many forms, and that women continue to show us what strong, thoughtful leadership looks like.

At CN&CO, we talk a lot about building brands and businesses by investing in people, connecting people and aligning values and missions.

Sometimes you see exactly what that means.

A university leader speaks. A room listens. A nonprofit is there. A CEO takes the conversation to the radio. And somewhere in between, connections are made.

You never quite know what will come from putting the right people in the room.