Henley Business School Africa has announced a significant strategic restructuring designed to build on its legacy of entrepreneurial growth and academic excellence. This evolution will enhance Henley’s operational capabilities, further enrich its educational offerings across Africa, and solidify its position as a leading business school deeply committed to developing talent and knowledge in Africa and beyond.
Henley Business School is an integral part of the award-winning University of Reading in the United Kingdom and has been active in Africa for more than 30 years. In that time, it has distinguished itself in that time through an entrepreneurial spirit, achieving growth organically through quality, without reliance on any external funding.
According to Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director at Henley Africa, this success has been built on a steadfast commitment to its mission – We build the people who build the businesses that build Africa – high educational standards, strong business discipline, and a continuous cycle of reinvesting profits into improvements, growth, and expanding its scope.
‘Henley has always succeeded against the odds, with grit and determination, driven by our clear mission to deliver education that truly works and creates value in Africa, for Africans,’ he said. ‘Our mission to build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa, drives our every thought and action.’
'We've reached a remarkable level of capability and impact. This restructuring is the natural next step, enabling us to refine every aspect of our management to support our ambitious growth plans in Africa and other key regions, fully leveraging the capabilities of our global parent institution, the University of Reading.’
The new structure organises the business school into four pillars, based on focused leadership and operational excellence, to ensure quality and drive growth. As a result of Henley’s talent policy to grow capability by providing all staff with free access to their programmes, including the school’s international MBA, existing Henley people have been promoted internally to fill new key roles.
The new structure covers:
1. Governance and Quality Assurance: Led by Frempong Acheampong, Deputy Dean and Academic and Governance Director at Henley Business School – Africa with support from Joanne Laubscher, newly appointed Director of Quality Assurance. This pillar will build upon Henley’s work regarding accreditations and licence to operate, and ensure adherence to academic and governance standards, and supporting the University of Reading's global quality framework.
2. Education, learning experience, and innovation: Under the leadership of Linda Buckley, promoted to Pro-Dean of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience, this area will focus on the delivery of a powerful learning journey, managing the quality of educators, upholding rigorous teaching and learning committee standards (aligned with Henley, UK and accrediting bodies), and driving innovation in educational methodologies, including virtual and AI-enhanced learning.
3. Research and doctoral: Spearheaded by Professor Danie Petzer, promoted to Pro-Dean of Research and Doctoral. While Henley has always produced strong research outputs under Petzer’s guidance, this focused effort will embed and build powerful local research capabilities and secure new funding for these initiatives. The aim is to expand the scope and range of research, foster multiple Africa-based international research centres, and create vital links across Africa.
4. Operations and market development, including shared services: Headed by Jacques Le Roux, newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO). This pillar will manage all aspects that ensure the smooth and efficient running of the business school, including facilities, finance, ICT, day-to-day operations, and market development initiatives. Henley has also created a new role, Head of Innovation, which will be led by Jonathan Stock and will help the school achieve its ambition to be the leading business school in Africa in AI and digital innovation by 2030.
At the same time, a major strategic change is that Jon Foster-Pedley, who has led Henley Africa for almost 15 years and presided over its rapid growth in that time, will assume a new mantle as Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement – Sub-Saharan Africa) at the University of Reading, UK.
The University is setting up a small number of regional hubs around the world to build on its established campuses, offices and programmes in China, South East Asia, India, Africa, EU and the UK. He will continue serving as dean and director of Henley Business School Africa, dividing his time between the roles, with the support of pro-deans Linda Buckley and Danie Petzer, and COO Jacques le Roux. This will ensure effective leadership, mentorship and coordination across faculty and programmes, and allow him to focus on the strategic vision and broader institutional goals of the school.
This robust operational structure will ensure powerful engagement and is intrinsically linked to Henley's and the University of Reading’s global growth strategies, with a strong commitment to integrating Africa more deeply into this vision. The school is committed to opening up opportunities through joint programmes with the University of Reading, taking its commitment to the African continent to a new level.
Foster-Pedley emphasised, ‘Our goal is not to be extractive, but to build capabilities within the region. We aim to co-create new learning and use it to grow the capacity of all involved. This has never been about exporting a British model; it's about bringing the world into a global entity where Africa, Britain and our global operations work as equal, valued partners. We will also be working to bring many more attractive study options to African students.
‘We believe in persistent, relentless relevance – because only when we are relevant do we create true value.’
Henley’s revised structure underscores the school’s conviction that business education must mirror the way commerce actually works around the world. By analysing the complex interplay of markets, cultures and economies, leaders gain both deep understanding and real-world skills. By reassessing established frameworks and learning from moments of profound change, they can develop approaches that succeed in any environment. This ensures that their graduates are ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges, wherever they arise.
‘I’m genuinely energised by the Henley Africa team’s expertise and dedication, and by the forward-thinking and values-based leadership of the University of Reading,’ Foster-Pedley said. ‘They really care. Their commitment to preparing leaders who build thriving businesses across Africa shows in every action. Their work has made our progress possible, and it will power our success going forward.’