For over a century, the MBA has been a fixture in the world of professional qualifications. Born in an era of rapid change – as machines were taking over manufacturing and businesses were scrambling to find leaders who could adapt – the degree has defied critics for more than 100 years to consistently deliver significant value to hundreds of thousands of graduates.
Fast forward to today, and AI, robotics, and virtual reality, are rewriting the rules of work – again. The game has changed, but the need for adaptable, big-picture thinkers who can bring it all together? That’s never been more urgent – and the MBA is once again evolving to meet this need. This time, it’s going global!
‘It’s in the DNA of the MBA to constantly reinvent itself and it’s hitting new heights,’ says Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Business School Africa.
‘The MBA holds a mirror up to management – a skill that is built around fluctuating requirements, and sometimes earth-shaking workplace shifts. The programme must, in other words, adapt, just as managers have had to adapt over the years,’ he says. ‘And right now, the new imperative is to lift leaders to a whole new level so that they can think and act with wisdom in times of flux.
‘This is where the Henley Global MBA comes in.’
Business isn’t static, and neither is a Global MBA
‘With the workplace and the world literally shifting beneath our feet, leaders need to be able to continuously update their map of the territory and our Global MBA has been designed to help them do this,’ says Foster-Pedley. ‘Not just by giving them the latest theory. Although it does this of course, but it’s the combination of deep self-knowledge and exposure to diverse colleagues and contexts – the more diverse the better – where the real magic happens and the muscle of versatile global leadership is developed.’
This is one of the reasons that the Henley Global MBA offers candidates no less than five international study visits over the 24-month programme, giving them an unrivalled opportunity to engage with businesses in contexts as diverse as Cape Town, Singapore, Helsinki, Johannesburg and London.
‘Learning on the Global MBA goes beyond classrooms – and borders,’ says Barry Van Zyl, Programme Lead for the Global MBA at Henley Business School Africa. ‘It’s all about experiential learning, where the rubber hits the road. As Richard Branson said, “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” And we make sure our students get to fall over and pick themselves up again in multiple contexts where they learn something new each time.
‘That’s the real advantage of our Global MBA. It doesn’t just teach theory; it rewires how you think and forces you to see problems from all angles, and tap into your authentic self. In a world where AI can do the repetitive tasks, the real superpower is human ingenuity, creativity, and the ability to work seamlessly in diverse teams.’
Madhusoodhanan Sayeenathan, a graduate of Henley’s Global MBA programme who works at Nordic and US-based steel company SSAB, says that having the opportunity to meet and engage with a wide variety of business professionals on the ground was enriching and thought provoking in ways he could not have anticipated. ‘I think it made me a more well-rounded and perhaps more humble professional, experiencing diverse businesses and listening to people from all walks of life,’ he says.
‘Diversity helps you understand your own biases,’ agrees Tatenda Chikuku, Head of Analytics Strategy and Data Science at Clinix Health Group in Gauteng, who is six months into the Global MBA programme. He adds that by getting beyond your own context you are able to see that everyone is going through the same challenges and problems, and also appreciate how others are dealing with these issues.
Mastering the art of reinvention
Lyneth Zungu, head of the MBA programme at Henley Business School Africa says that these deep cultural immersions help managers develop something intangible. ‘The Global MBA is heavily weighted towards senior impact skills. Most candidates are already successful in business, they know what they are doing. Many have founded and built successful ventures or run large divisions in corporations or government. So why would they need a Global MBA? Because it gives them newfound confidence to make sense of territory that is changing daily, and then the ability to act within that new context. This is crucial if you want to be effective in a changing world.’
Global MBA graduate Graham Hutchings, COO of Profitability Business Simulations in the UK says that for him the degree delivered more than skills, it’s changed him as a person. ‘I learned the value of listening, and the importance of home life, family, health and exercise. And how to step back and aggregate other peoples’ views before making judgements. I’ve learned who I am as a person, and what I want to be.’
Van Zyl agrees, ‘It’s not about learning one trick, it’s about mastering the art of reinvention, embracing the not knowing, and finding your feet in flux. The Global MBA equips you for any path.’
Ultimately the degree delivers personal development, a strong interior compass, emotional vulnerability and support – all part of the reason it is ranked among the top Executive MBA programmes in the world in both the Financial Times annual ranking and QS ranking of Executive MBAs, where it was ranked in the top 10% for Career Outcomes in 2024 with a 92% approval rating from previous graduates.
‘The world has changed, and it’s going to keep on changing,’ concludes Foster-Pedley. ‘We don’t have a map in many instances for where we are about to go, but that shouldn’t mean that we are lost or powerless — we just have to keep on learning, unlearning and relearning. Even Zen masters say it: “When you reach the top of the mountain, keep climbing.” DM
The Henley Global Executive MBA is an exciting new MBA offering in South Africa and an MBA at a whole new level. Awarded in both South Africa and the UK by the University of Reading, this top-tier degree is structured over 24 months for fast-track learning with five global study immersions geared towards fostering an interdisciplinary and culturally fluid approach and focus. The South African cohort based at our campus in Johannesburg, joins up with cohorts from the UK and Europe, making this a truly global networking experience, too. The degree is priced competitively for African business and South African students pay 70% of global fees.
For more information go to: https://www.henleysa.ac.za/henley-business-school-africa-mba-global-degree