South African Business 2024

Thought leaders with impact
Wits Business School leads research in areas critical to the
continent’s sustainability.
New leadership, a new strategy and
international accreditation – Wits
Business School (WBS) is consolidating
its position as a leading African business
school. Almost three years after Professor Maurice
Radebe took the helm as Director and Head of
WBS, the School is experiencing a turnaround, as
evidenced by the growing number of corporate
clients and students affiliated to the school.
For Radebe, a former energy executive at Sasol Oil,
leading the turnaround at WBS was an opportunity
for him to give back, not only to WBS, his alma mater,
but to society: “When the opportunity arose, I realised
this is very much in line with my purpose, which is
to develop the next generation of leaders who are
ethical and who have a passion to make a difference.”
Developing impactful leadership is at the heart
of the School’s mission and the golden thread that
runs through its programmes, whether academic
or executive short courses. The MBA programme
at WBS is centred around a “Leadership Quest”, an
independent study component which challenges
the students to reflect on their leadership style and
beliefs and identify the gaps that need to be closed
to become a great leader.
“Our country and continent are rich with young
talent. As business schools, we need to tap into this
talent and develop it. We need to invest in the next
generation of leaders who can take Africa into an
inclusive and sustainable future. This means leading
with purpose, integrity and accountability, while at
the same time developing an entrepreneurial and
innovative mindset,” says Radebe.
To this end, WBS has established three
centres of excellence which focus on developing
the latest research in areas critical to Africa’s
future. These include Energy Leadership, Digital
Business and African Philanthropy and Resource
Mobilisation. The school recently announced a
new MBA in the field of Healthcare Leadership,
launching in March
2024, which seeks
to address the many
challenges facing the
healthcare sector, both
locally and globally.
WBS has also
announced the imminent
launch of a new Centre
for Entrepreneurship, the
result of a collaboration
with the private sector
which seeks to sustain the
economic revitalisation of
South African cities and
townships.
In the Executive
Education division at
Director and Head of WBS,
WBS, impactful leadership
Professor Maurice Radebe.
means providing delegates
with the tools to adapt to
change and disruption through soft skills such as agility
and resilience, along with hard skills such as digital
business. Programmes are taught by both academics and
industry experts.
“We get people from business to teach business and
in this way, we embrace the concept of ‘pracademia’ to
ensure real-world impact,” says Leoni Grobler, Director of
Executive Education at WBS.
WBS has recently attained accreditation with the
Association of African Business Schools (AABS) and reaccreditation
with AMBA. The school is now shifting its
focus to achieving American and European accreditation
through AACSB and EQUIS.
“WBS is on an exciting journey to becoming globally
recognised as an African thought leader, using our
reputation for academic excellence as a foundation for
delivering programmes that are strongly research-based
and relevant to our context and our collective future as
Africans,” says Radebe. ■
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SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2024