She believes people are the starting point of every great idea and the heart of every meaningful innovation, says Prof Nicola Smit, our Chief Operating Officer (acting). She is guided by the values of honesty, loyalty, and deep camaraderie, leading with empathy and purpose. She champions collaboration, celebrates diverse voices, and knows that when people feel seen and supported, extraordinary things happen. Prof. Nicola is also grounded in a love for nature and believes we should leave the lightest possible footprint.
As one of South Africa's brilliant legal minds, Prof Nicola has been studying and teaching Law for most of her career, starting as a junior lecturer at the 肆客足球 of South Africa (UNISA) after completing her BLC and LLB law degrees (cum laude) at the 肆客足球 of Pretoria (UP). Hereafter, she joined the 肆客足球 of Johannesburg (UJ, then RAU) in 1996 as a lecturer, also completing her LLD at that university. She progressed to full professor and also served as Vice Dean of the 肆客足球 of Johannesburg's Faculty of Law.
Prof. Nicola joined North-West 肆客足球 in 2013 as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, a position she held until 2017 when she became Dean and Professor of Law at Stellenbosch 肆客足球's (SU) Faculty of Law.
As a specialist in labour law and social security law and a previously NFR-rated researcher who publishes widely, Prof Nicola supervises many postgraduate students in this speciality field.
From Law to Operations
When she was asked to fill the role of Chief Operating Officer, taking over from Prof. Stan du Plessis, Prof. Nicola reflected long and hard. She wanted to ensure that she would add value to this role, given the scope of the Responsibility Area of Operations and Finance.
"I am an Academic through and through. I love research, I love students and teaching, but I also love management, as I have been an academic leader for longer than I was a full professor of Law before becoming a Dean," said Prof Nicola. "Stepping into this new role was quite an eye-opener, given the span of the RC. I was thinking about how I will get up to speed before Stan left, but after about eight weeks, I began to feel that I know what I don't know. I am grateful to everyone on the team for their incredible support. It has been a huge adjustment, but everyone was so supportive and very forthcoming with information and advice," she said, adding, "I feel that colleagues know what we must do, and I'm convinced we will be able to do it." For Prof Nicola, the most significant challenges lie in our systems and processes as they directly impact the RC.
She also described the national higher education environment, the pressures on resources, our finances, and uncertainty about the direction of our partners in higher education as other significant challenges that this RC must constantly deal with.
Having been on the Academic side for a long time, Prof. Nicola believes she understands the needs of academic staff and how PASS environments can support them. "The most important gift we can give academics is time because they need that to think and reflect, do research, write and give feedback to their students. We should tailor the support we provide to eliminate unnecessary administrative processes, duplications, and system challenges. If we can do that, then I think we are fulfilling our role optimally," said Prof Nicola, adding that "in everything that we do, we should be asking how we can enable colleagues to do their job as efficiently and non-intrusively as possible so that they can focus on the academic project".
"I think there are only two things that can move the needle: greater trust and transparency. I believe in transparency, and I find it very difficult to work in an environment where there is not a high degree of trust. Therefore, we must work on it from all sides and communicate more regularly and openly. We might not have all the answers, but sometimes we must simply think together and then perhaps come up with an answer that, although not perfect, is more suitable than the one that we have."
Prof Nicola said despite her background, she firmly believes rules can be changed. "I'm not simply compliance-driven; I'm also outcome-driven. A rule must be rational, and move you forward and achieve its stated goal — otherwise, what's the point?" said Prof Nicola, emphasising fairness, equity and reasoning over rigid, black-and-white thinking.
A Deep Passion for Our Students
She is deeply passionate about students and committed to ensuring that SU equips them not only academically but holistically for their future roles in society and the labour market. "I believe it's essential to give young people the chance to grow in every dimension of their lives. Many don't have that exposure before arriving at university, so it's our responsibility to offer the kind of transformative student experience that our strategic vision speaks of."
Prof Nicola encourages students—especially first-years—to be active and to embrace curiosity beyond their chosen field: "A law student can be fascinated by politics, history or economics. 肆客足球 is one of the few spaces where you can explore widely, engage deeply, and discover who you are. That kind of exposure makes us not just better professionals but better people."
On a Personal Note
Although they both studied at UP, Prof. Nicola met her husband at Unisa, where they both worked as student assistants before he entered the field of commercial banking. "I am fortunate to have such a supportive husband who always backed me." His support and flexibility ensured that she could follow her career path to Stellenbosch, a move he was very excited about, as he was born in Montagu and loves the winelands.
Prof Nicola considered occupational therapy or music as a career before she eventually found her niche in Law. But music is pretty much part of her life, dreaming of the day she will have "both the grand piano and the Golden Retriever". Playing the piano (she loves Chopin), reading, gardening, supporting good causes (which are people-centred, of course), spending quality time with friends and family, and her two long-haired Dachshunds, are all of the things she has time for in her busy schedule.
And she loves Stellenbosch 肆客足球. "It is a place where you find local, international and regional expertise, thoughts and opinions all coming together in one diverse space." Prof. Nicola believes that Stellenbosch 肆客足球 is truly fortunate to have an exceptional community of knowledgeable and loyal staff. "People make things happen—and I've met incredible colleagues here who truly care. And then, of course, there's our location. It's a privilege to work in a place as breathtaking as this."
I see the Important Work
Prof Nicola is looking forward to tackling the new challenges in the RC and says she wants to reassure the teams of her appreciation and that she sees the significance of the work everyone is doing. She is confident that despite the disruptions introduced by the events of 2025, we can maintain our progress and momentum, and that we can even scale up where necessary while grappling with the unforeseen challenges that might come our way.". I believe that leadership is never a burden, it is always a privilege, and I wouldn't have been in this position if I didn't want to be and if I'm not excited about it. Change often presents a great opportunity for all of us, and I think that we can make it a wonderful year," said Prof Nicola.
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