Ronen Aires: CEO at Student Village

After a brief stint in the corporate world, Ronen chose to bank on himself and his abilities and start his own business, with the support of a close group of friends.

Ten years later, as CEO and co-founder of Student Village, he remains focused on pursuing excellence, which is why Student Village is a leading youth marketing and career development solutions provider. His energy and enthusiasm has seen him leading the company through various exciting growth phases.

He is a passionate leader who enjoys inspiring his team. A strategic thinker and chronic doer, Ronen constantly drives himself and the team to new levels of performance. Among his key success factors has been his insistence on creating a work environment that sees his team thriving, rather than just surviving. “Student Village is a place where we arrive each day, five days a week (not to mention our weekend workaholics) and have the opportunity to be creative, to try new things, to surprise ourselves, to reach new heights and of course, to have fun!”

Ronen holds a BCom from Wits and an Honours in Business Management from Unisa.

He is currently Area Director: Africa for the Global Entrepreneur Awards, an annual competition run by the Entrepreneur Organisation – a worldwide entrepreneurs’ network.

In 2006, he was recognised as the ‘Most Promising Entrepreneur’ by the South African chapter of the EO, was nominated for the same award in 2008, and spent two years serving on its board.