Prof Mias de Klerk’s career is a study in purposeful reinvention. As Head of the Centre for Responsible Leadership Studies at the Stellenbosch Business School (SBS), his path – from mechanical engineer to respected scholar of organisational behaviour – reflects a lifelong commitment to meaningful work, a theme that has quietly shaped every major decision in his life.

Mias began his professional journey studying mechanical engineering at the University of Pretoria. He joined SASOL soon after and advanced rapidly, becoming a senior manager and, at just 35, the youngest member of Sasol Synfuel’s EXCO. Yet the success that others celebrated did not leave him fulfilled. After a period of internal reflection, he enrolled for an MBA through UNISA. The intellectual spark of that experience opened a door he had not expected: the discovery of his true calling. It led him to pursue a PhD in Organisational Behaviour at the University of Pretoria (UP).

During this time, he also developed close ties with the University of the Free State, supervising Master’s students and deepening his academic grounding by teaching on the Master’s in Industrial Psychology programme at UP. After 27 years at SASOL, he made the bold decision to change careers entirely. In 2015, he joined Stellenbosch University’s Business School as an associate professor specialising in organisational behaviour and was appointed Head of Research, a responsibility he carried until 2022. Within a year he rose to full professor, and in 2018 he succeeded former SBS Director Prof Eon Smit as editor of the SA Journal of Business Management, a position he held with distinction until this year.

Throughout, Mias has remained grounded in meaningful engagement with organisations, consulting in South Africa and Namibia. And while he is formally retiring, he will continue teaching and supervising PhDs at SBS.

Early in conversation, Mias refers to Viktor Frankl, the philosopher and Holocaust survivor whose work centred on the human search for meaning. Frankl’s reflections on purpose resonate deeply with him. “Purposeful work” is not just an academic interest; it has been the compass guiding his own choices.

What he will miss most, he says, is the privilege of making a contribution in the lives of others. “I had very meaningful conversations with the professional people who were also my students. I believe I could make a difference in many people’s lives and I know they’ll remember that.” His belief that lecturers can influence the trajectory of students’ lives is something he held at the centre of his teaching.

Retirement, then, is not an ending but a shift in focus. “I am looking forward to the future, especially to be able to choose what is meaningful to me and how I spend my time,” he says. “I am emotionally and financially well-prepared for retirement. I want to stay involved in my field – it keeps one sharp.”

Outside academia, a rich life awaits. Mias and his wife of 43 years, Melissa, live in Aurora in Durbanville. They are keen hikers, spending weekends exploring trails on Table Mountain, in Jonkershoek, the Karoo, and abroad. They have recently returned from a two-week hiking trip to Italy paired with visits to their daughters, one in Amsterdam and the other in Vancouver. A young grandson in Amsterdam provides an especially joyful incentive for a planned return trip in early 2026.

Mias is also an avid cyclist and a passionate bonsai enthusiast. “My interest in bonsai was sparked in 2007 when my wife gave me a bonsai tree,” he explains. The move from Johannesburg to Cape Town in 2015 proved challenging – “Sadly I lost 50% of the trees” – but today his collection has grown to between 80 and 90 carefully tended specimens.

As he reflects on the arc of his career, his advice to younger colleagues is simple but profound: “Do what is meaningful to you. If you follow that path, you’ll be able to deal with the hardships in your career.” It is the same message he lived by, and the legacy he leaves for those who follow.