“I don't think that students, or even many seasoned professionals and grownups for that matter, realise that the golden thread running through any career is a passion for what you do. For me being passionate about what you do is fundamental. Waking up and being so excited that you're chomping at the bit to get down and dirty with whatever the day may hold."

This is the principle on which businesswoman and Matie alumnus, Adéle Smith, has built a career spanning more than 20 years in diverse industries where she held positions like Operations Manager and Director, HR Director, Human Capital Director, Head of HR and Head of Corporate Social Investment (CSI) for large multinationals and corporates including Lufthansa German Airlines, Dialogue Group, Ackermans Group, and most recently, The Foschini Group.

On 29 August, Adéle will be sharing more about her journey and career adventures with students at Stellenbosch University (SU) through the Alumni Relations' Careers Café. The TedTalk-styled event will take place in Room 230 on the second floor of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences building on the corner of Merriman and Ryneveld Street and is open to all students.

Adéle completed a BA degree majoring in Psychology and German at SU in 1997. She has also completed various executive programmes through University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and Duke University's Corporate Education.

Since then, she has managed to turn her passion for language, communication, business, people and their development into a brand that has helped her to confidently walk the different roads she has had to travel over the years and wear the many hats she sports.

A mom of two girls, Zoë , aged 9 and Mia, aged 13, Adéle also owns The Daily Coffee Café in Kuils River with her husband (going on 17 years) and business partner, Nate. The Smith couple are also directors of Accelerating the Business Case for Change, or in short, ABC² Consulting, their business strategy and human resources consultancy established in 2017. She is also an Associate at Legitimate Leadership, a Johannesburg-based business and leadership consultancy that collaborates with business leaders the world over by facilitating workshops and a wide range of interventions that transform teams and organisational culture.

The Careers Café series was launched in 2016 by the Alumni Relations Office to provide a platform for alumni to engage with the university in a different manner by offering their time and skills to help current students prepare for the careers they want. This year, the BA Student Committee (BASC) has partnered with Alumni Relations as part of their own mission to expose current students to established Matie professionals, allowing them to better prepare for their future career.

Shaun Stuart, Alumni Relations Manager, says that while SU's degree programmes are world-renowned and equip graduates with the relevant skills and knowledge to perform the tasks they are required to do upon entering the job market, studies have shown that graduates across the world are failing to build their careers or progress up the career ladder due to a lack of soft skills.

• ​For more information about the Careers Café, follow the Alumni Relations Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stellenboschalumni and the SU Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity. Two students can also win a seat at the dinner table with Adéle on the evening of the Careers Café by entering the Careers Café Facebook competition that will be advertised on the Stellenbosch Alumni page.