ALUMNI
From 2001 – 2007 100 BYM delegates were annually selected from more than 1500 applications on average (2000 only had 75 delegates). These delegates came from about 15 different tertiary institutions across the country. All in all more than 800 young people (organizing committee included) have been part BYM since 2000. And they are all worthy to be called Brightest Young Minds. The following are just some of the achievements and awards received by BYM alumni:
Awards
• 14 Abe Bailey Scholars
• 8 Mandela Rhodes Scholars
• 3 Nelson Mandela Scholarship winners
• 9 Rhodes Scholarship winners
• Commonwealth Scholarships
• Fulbright Scholarships
• Clinton Democracy Fellow
• Winner of South African ‘The Apprentice’
• Winner of quiz show ‘Temptation’
• First South African to be published in Harvard Business Review
Academic
The BYM alumni have also gone on to do further studies and research at many of the world’s foremost universities including: Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, New York University, Stanford, Peking University, China Europe International Business School, University of Edinburgh, Max Planck Institute.
Employment
BYM alumni have also been recruited by the top and most exclusive employers. These include:
ABSA, Accenture, BHP Billiton, BKS, BP, Cliffe Dekker, CSIR, Daimler Chrysler, Davis Polk Wardwell, De Beers, Deneys Reitz, Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting, Edward Nathan Sonnenberg, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Hofmeyr, Investec, JP Morgan, KPMG, McKinsey, Microsoft, Media24, Monitor Group, Old Mutual, PMBR, Proctor & Gamble, PWC, RMB, SAB, Sanlam, Sasol, Shoprite Checkers, Siemens, Standard Bank, Unilever, Vodacom, Webber Wentzel, Werksmans, Xstrata.
Own businesses
Many BYM alumni have started their own businesses. Some of the most prominent ones are:
Chetty Law, Clyral, Experience This, Masiqhube Vehicle Finance, One Over Zero, Phieco Renewable Energy, Prefix Technologies, Print to Advertise, Rossum Robotics, Silversoft and Xstream Flow. Mine! Media, a 2008 winner in the Enablis Business Plan competition, was developed by two delegates who met for the first time and dreamt up their idea at the 2007 summit.
Social ventures
BYM is also especially proud of the many social ventures that were started by BYM alumni. Twenty 30, Women in Engineering, Young Women in Finance and BYM Australia were all started after the founders attended a BYM summit. Two of the founders of Tsiba University also met at a BYM summit where the founder of CIDA University was a speaker. Other social ventures that BYM alumni play an instrumental role in are: Township Patters, The Warehouse and Focal Point Engineering.
As can be seen the BYM alumni represent an exceptional group of young people and it is evident that BYM have been successful in selecting delegates of great diversity who exudes not only leadership ability and innovative flair but also a strong social responsibility.
