Henley Africa unveils winners of flagship Global Executive MBA scholarships across sustainability, the creative economy, and women in leadership

If you want fundamentally different outcomes for African economies, you cannot rely on the same perspectives to design them.

Such is the simple philosophy behind the launch of a dedicated slate of new scholarships by Henley Business School Africa for its Global Executive MBA programme, starting this October.

The initiative is designed to inject fresh, visionary perspectives directly into senior executive spaces, equipping leaders with the frameworks, network, and institutional backing needed to turn structural friction into sustainable commercial and societal value.

Intentional access where it matters most

Guided by its mission to build the people who build the businesses that build Africa, Henley is targeting three catalytic sectors with these scholarships:

• Women in Executive Leadership: Accelerating female leadership beyond middle management and into direct operational, corporate, and board governance.
• Creative and cultural economies: Elevating executives and entrepreneurs in Africa’s fast-expanding arts, media, and design sectors, bridging creative brilliance with executive acumen.
• Sustainability and responsible leadership: Supporting leaders advancing circular business models, clean energy, and adaptive systems across Africa.

Jon Foster-Pedley,  Dean and Director of Henley Business School Africa and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement (Sub-Saharan Africa) at the University of Reading, comments:

‘Real, systemic progress begins long before policies are drafted or balance sheets are balanced; it happens at the point of origin, determined entirely by who is present, participating, and shaping the agenda when pivotal decisions are made.’

He adds that the awards align with the global Henley and University of Reading strategic pillars. Both Henley Business School in the UK and the Nordic region offer a similar scholarship to women leaders, while the University of Reading is globally recognised as a champion of sustainability with standout expertise in climate change and atmospheric science. The university was ranked joint 30th in the world in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2026 and fourth in the People & Planet University League 2025/26.

A flagship engine on an upward trajectory

As the only Executive MBA of its calibre ranked by the Financial Times and offered in South Africa, the Global MBA is a cornerstone programme for Henley Business School and the University of Reading, delivering a genuinely global asset characterised by worldwide reach, academic rigour, and on-the-ground impact.

‘The Global MBA embodies everything Henley stands for: an agile, internationally integrated institution preparing leaders who can guide complex organisations with integrity, clarity, and imagination,’ said Foster-Pedley.

‘This programme combines deep academic heritage, an unrivalled international network, and a commitment to fostering responsible management practice. By intentionally widening access, we ensure that the leaders engineering the future of African commerce bring the diverse expertise required to build resilient, enduring institutions.’

The Global MBA draws delegates from around the world with three cohorts, one from the UK, one from the Nordics, and one from South Africa, that meet up five times over a 24-month period in different locations to foster real-world contextual learning.

The degree’s recent trajectory across the world’s most rigorous independent benchmarks reflects its rising prominence among business schools:

• QS Executive MBA Rankings 2026: Jumped seven places earlier this year to achieve 57th globally.
• Corporate Knights ‘Better World MBA’ 2025: ranked 17th in the world, up 27 places from 2024, reflecting Henley’s deep curriculum integration of environmental responsibility, ethical governance, and systemic change.
• Financial Times Executive MBA Rankings: Surging 19 places in 2025 to reach 33rd in the world.

Each ranking evaluates business education through a distinct lens, from student career trajectories and teaching innovation to sustainability benchmarks and international reputation. Together, they confirm unmistakable upward momentum and a curriculum built to navigate contemporary complexity.

Meet the recipients

The flagship Women in Leadership scholarship has been awarded to Daisy Thobakgale, a standout technology strategist and enterprise transformation leader whose work sits at the nexus of systems architecture, operational agility, and organisational equity.

Daisy is a senior project manager at Zimele Technologies  and has guided large institutions through complex digital transformations, optimising delivery pipelines, and embedding high-performance delivery cultures. A recognised force among young African innovators, she previously earned top honours at the prestigious TransUnion Rising Star Award and is a candid, uncompromising advocate for structural gender equity in corporate spaces, observing: ‘Never have organisations spoken more confidently about equality, yet few conversations remain as uncomfortable as naming inequality itself.’

The scholarship for Sustainability and Responsible Management has been awarded to pioneering climate advocate and institutional strategist David Le Page.

David is the co-founder and director of Fossil Free South Africa, a Cape Town-based non-profit supporting a just transition away from the multi-dimensional threat of fossil fuels and towards a thriving and equitable economy that's no longer based on exploitation of people and planet. With a background in environmental and human rights journalism, he has long worked in social justice movements, including the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI). His work operates at the intersection of climate advocacy and corporate finance, scrutinising corporate governance, responsible asset allocation, and ESG mandates across academic endowments and commercial portfolios, fighting greenwashing, and working for public understanding of the extraordinary opportunities for society beyond fossil fuels.

In the Creative and Cultural Industries category, two partial scholarships have been awarded:

• Noxy Mavundla: An award-winning filmmaker, producer, and cultural driver who has spearheaded film investment across northern KwaZulu-Natal as former manager of the Zulu Coast Film Office.
• Richard Kingon: A distinguished classical musician, ensemble conductor, music educator, and Yamaha Artist with an extensive performance career across South Africa’s premier orchestral institutions.

Because of the strong field of scholarship candidates, partial scholarships have been awarded to several additional candidates in each of the three fields.

The leaders Africa needs right now

Speaking ahead of the start of the programme on 7 October, Foster-Pedley said that the strong group of scholarship recipients represents precisely the kind of bold, innovative, and courageous leadership the continent needs right now.

‘By bringing innovators from the creative arts, climate justice, and technological transformation into our Global MBA, we are not just broadening the conversation in the classroom, we are building the critical capabilities of the people who will build the businesses that build Africa. I am delighted to congratulate each of our recipients. As you embark on this demanding and life-changing journey, know that your ideas and your leadership have never mattered more. We are proud to back you, and we cannot wait to see the impact you will make.’

Scholarships for 2027

Applications for next year’s scholarship will open in March 2027. Follow Henley Africa on social media and watch for updates.