PhD for Banking Industry Expert
Implementing technological solutions to solve financial problems is what drives PhD in Leadership Studies graduate Dr Shahiem Patel.
Patel, a Customer Experience Transformation: Knowledge Management Analyst at Standard Bank, used his thesis titled: Developing a Crowd Sourcing Platform as a Funding Mechanism for a South African Higher Education Institution to explore the socio-economic landscape of South African Higher Education and the #FeesMustFall events.
‘My qualification allows me to explore the point where leadership and education intersects. Despite attempts by numerous public and private sector entities to address the challenges highlighted by the #FeesMustFall events, vast numbers of students remain excluded from accessing Higher Education due to the high costs associated therewith. I pursued this qualification because I did not want to be a bystander in the fight for financial access to Higher Education. At the outset, my belief was that technology was not being effectively applied to the Higher Education context,’ said Patel.
His research, which was supervised by Dr Angela James, involved SCRUM and Waterfall methodologies which are utilised to develop software using elements from both methodologies to develop the crowd sourcing platform, which is a novel idea.
‘The social impact associated with this research is potentially monumental because the crowd sourcing platform is available for use by any Higher Education entity or stakeholder. The power of the crowd and the internet could be harnessed to fund hundreds of thousands of students in the Higher Education system. The platform could be adapted to source funds for Higher Education infrastructure and or other expenses. Furthermore, it could also be potentially used to source basic education and training expenses,’ explained Patel.
Looking to the future, Patel looks forward to using his newly acquired knowledge and skills for professional growth as a leader.
‘Apart for working in the banking industry, I am also an MBA Supervisor at the Wits Business School. I am often invited to deliver guest lectures and keynote addresses at academic and professional institutions. This qualification will enable me to further develop my academic and professional leadership skills and acumen. I am actively pursuing opportunities that supports my vision of positioning myself as a leader that expands the areas of convergence between professional and academic progression,’ said Patel.
Words: Thandiwe Jumo
Photographer: Rogan Ward