Pick n Pay it Forward

Suzanne Ackerman, a native South African, can sum up her approach to business and life with one word: Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a word from the Zulu language that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people.

“You are who you are because of the people around you,” said Ackerman, an international professor of practice at Rutgers School of Business–Camden and former chairman of Pick n Pay, one of the largest retailers in South Africa, with more than 90,000 employees, 2,200 stores in eight African countries, and an annual revenue of nearly $6 billion. As an international professor of practice, she engages with and mentors students while sharing her experiences as a leader of a large multinational organization.

(left to right) Shy Yi, assistant dean of external partnerships, Rutgers School of Business–Camden; Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis; Suzanne Ackerman, Cal Maradonna, off-campus BBA program manager, Rutgers School of Business–Camden; Monica Adya, dean of Rutgers School of Business–Camden

Ackerman recently spent two weeks at Rutgers–Camden, connecting with the university community. Her message to students was that corporate social responsibility is essential to doing business.

“Profits are the bloodline of any business, but it’s how you redistribute your resources and the impact that you have on society that will ultimately make the difference,” Ackerman said. “You need to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say you are a good corporate citizen. That means taking care of young people, employees, customers, and being part of the community you serve.”

Ackerman’s father, Raymond, founded Pick n Pay in 1967, and the company has long been at the forefront of South Africa’s fight against racism. In 1969, the company’s first Black employee was promoted to a managerial position even though anti-apartheid laws prohibited such actions. Pick n Pay went on to champion fair housing, lower prices for essential products, and an end to the apartheid system.

“In a place like South Africa, where inequality is so blatant, corporations have an absolute responsibility to take care of society's needs when the government fails to do so,” Ackerman said. “It is our job to lead the way, to repair the inequalities of the past so we can prepare our customers and employees for an even better future.”

That same sense of responsibility drove Ackerman to start the Feed the Nation Foundation shortly after the pandemic shut down much of South Africa in 2020. The organization provides food assistance to schoolchildren and those affected by natural disasters, emergencies, and civil unrest. While many doubted the Foundation could get off the ground amid stiff odds and logistical problems, it was a success, raising more than $7 million in its first ten days and distributing more than 650 tons of food to those in desperate need.

Ackerman hopes to demonstrate that corporate social responsibility can have a genuine impact and be more than just a mission statement. To that end, she visited Philabundance and the LEAP Academy University School. She offered several lectures open to the public and served as a guest speaker in multiple classes, also meeting with students individually and in small groups to share advice and answer questions.

“If I can open the eyes of just one student or faculty member to a different way of doing business and living life, my time here has been well spent,” Ackerman said.

Design: Karaamat Abdullah