‘Trust is not a sentiment’

An array of speakers from various industries and environments including University of Cape Town (UCT) experts gathered at the 2026 Risky Business Conference to explore the risks and challenges associated with their work.

Grounded on anecdotes and research, presenters spoke openly about being stranded on a yacht while sailing on the return leg from the Cape to Rio race; how paramedics are navigating administering care in so-called red-zone communities in the Western Cape; strategic risk and opportunity in a new medical school, as well as being a health sciences faculty dean at a time of risk, among other things.

This year’s gathering was themed “Trust in an age of uncertainty” and was hosted at the Royal Cape Yacht Club on 6 and 7 November 2026. On day one, a familiar face, former chief operating officer (COO) at UCT Dr Reno Morar, who is now director of the School of Medicine at the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, presented to the audience.

During his talk, titled “Building at the edge”, Dr Morar asked: “How do we pursue a public good, when the conditions of success are not fully in your control?

“Building at the edge is deliberate, as it is the edge between ambition and capacity, and sometimes at the edge between innovation and assurance, and sometimes at the edge of an institutional promise, and whether your partners can assist you to deliver on it,” said Morar.

Using trust as an organisational infrastructure with a new school built between aspiration and constraint, Morar elaborated: “We needed to hold the educational ambition, operational reality and public responsibility together. All these imperatives are connected, and they operate at different paces, and you must hold the space for them to run at different paces. The question, therefore, is not whether to be ambitious – it is how to prevent ambition from becoming a promise that the system cannot safely hold.

“For us, the ethical leadership challenge is to avoid two mistakes: don’t celebrate milestones as if they settle the question of sustainability. Alternatively, do not describe a medical school through its vulnerabilities. Trust requires a truthful account of both our capabilities as well as our unfinished work.

“Trust is not a sentiment. It is a way of working. In a complex partnership, trust is produced by repeated observable behaviour,” he said. These can be observed through three ways: building, maintaining and repair work. On building, Morar said, “Be clear about purpose, roles and limits, while making commitments realistic. Invite students, clinicians and communities into decisions.” On maintaining: “Share evidence early while matching authority with accountability and close the loop on decisions and promises. Finally, in repairing, name the gap without blame-shifting, explain what happened and what changes and agree on deadlines and proof of follow through.”

Being dean at a time of risk

Professor Marian Jacobs, a former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), recalled how 20 years ago she was appointed in the position. “This was a time when institutions – including UCT – were shifting away from the traditional models of governance, and into the more corporate model; meaning a dean would move away from the traditional academic leader of a faculty to that of executive dean, and the position for me was just that.

“The executive deans were tasked with implementing the institutional strategy, and the decisions of management down to the faculty. So, was I fit for the job, and why did I think I could do it? All in all, the university and faculty took a huge risk [on me].”

She added: “It was a tumultuous environment at the time as we were dealing with increased student enrolment, institutional fiscal constraints and more. But the risk wasn’t only theirs as I had taken a huge risk stepping into the position. For me, learning the corporate risk lexicon and then applying approaches such as risk appetite and management were not themes I relished.

“In hindsight, taking the risk of the appointment was worthwhile; at a faculty level, we adopted risk management approaches that were compliant with the corporate enterprise risk framework, without sacrificing the tenets of the mission and values of the faculty. This situation is often presented as a tension between two facets of executive deanship and responsibilities – at the centre (management) and the faculty level.”

Professor Jacobs learnt many lessons along the way, including being able to use the appropriate language. “I served on the risk committee board of a private sector health organisation. Here I had to advocate for priority to be assigned to addressing risks to the patient, rather than just the bottom line. Importantly, I introduced my own style to complement that of corporate leadership at a risk of compromising my performance as the dean of the faculty. And I’m delighted to say I survived.”