Henley has heart: a spotlight on Henley Africa
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Following the recent all-staff briefing session on our plans for global engagement, it feels high time to shine a spotlight on what is perhaps internally the lesser known of our international campus sites: Henley Business School South Africa.
An introduction to Henley South Africa
In 1992, Henley Business School introduced its MBA to the South African market, under license to the Graduate Institute of Management Technology (GIMT). When GIMT was eventually sold, Henley UK bought back the license, became a branch office and, in 2002, launched itself as a fully integrated school of Henley in South Africa. In 2012, Henley Business School Africa celebrated its 20th anniversary and the opening of its current campus in Paulshof, Johannesburg, starting with one building and taking over all four buildings within five years.
Henley Africa's mission is ‘we build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa'. It has a reputation for being an energetic, innovative and caring business school as reflected in its tagline ‘Henley has heart'. This ethos is also demonstrated in the institution's strong position on human rights and the battle against poverty and exclusion, both internally as a workplace and externally in local communities.
In 2011 Henley Africa was a small operation only delivering the MBA degree and graduating 30 students. This year, over 1,268 students graduated in 29 virtual celebrations. Henley Africa has grown from five staff to 75 full-time and 150 part-time staff, and currently has around 4,500 students. It is also a diverse and inclusive campus. In 2020 its student population comprises 52% women and 80% black - and the business school's staff is 75% black and 75% women.
Like Henley UK, Henley Africa focuses on programmes offering executive business and management qualifications. Its most popular and fastest-growing programme is the internationally recognised Henley MBA, which has been designed to offer flexible, family-friendly part-time study for those studying while supporting families. It has also been named the number 1 MBA Business School in South Africa ranked by independent research company PMR Africa for three years running.
Our working relationship
Many academics from Henley UK regularly travel to the Henley Africa campus to teach on programmes and deliver masterclasses. There are a range of collaborative research programmes between Henley UK and Henley Africa, ranging from joint research on land reform, on entrepreneurship and innovation and international business.
Work/study abroad opportunities
MBA students on UK-based programmes also get an immersive study experience as part of their course in which they travel to Africa to work with charities and NGOs. And equally Henley Africa MBA students get the opportunity to participate in Henley's international study visits, where they meet fellow Henley MBA students from all around the world.
Response to COVID-19
Henley Africa successfully switched to 100% virtual delivery at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are now building a full virtual learning operation which intends to offer programmes all across Africa.
It has also supported national efforts against the crisis, which has included leading a range of outreach initiatives to support its wider community of working students, businesses, alumni and entrepreneurs. These online training and support initiatives reached thousands of African entrepreneurs and business leaders.
If you'd like to find out more about Henley Africa, please visit henleysa.ac.za.