Love, laptops, and late nights: The Henley way

For most people, the idea of having your spouse as your coworker, your gym buddy, and your late-night study partner sounds less like romance and more like a competitive reality show. But for Warren and Kelly Murray, this is just Tuesday. This formidable couple, who’ve been virtually inseparable since they met over a decade ago, are now taking their partnership to a new level: embarking on simultaneous business degrees with Henley Business School Africa.

Kelly is diving into the Flexible Executive MBA, while Warren is taking on the four-year marathon that is the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), joining the first South African cohort of 18 on this prestigious degree. Both degrees kicked off this October.

From AI specialist to all-round leader (and fan)

Their shared journey started with Warren's MBA. After years working in the technology industry, he wanted to underpin his experience with some formal learning and ‘theory,’ to give his sharp instincts an academic seal of approval. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Each module I went through, I discovered that the knowledge I had was relevant, and now I have theoretical frameworks to put behind that too.’

‘The structure was also great. I started during COVID, which wasn’t ideal because it was all online. I think it was only in the second year when we actually came back to class that it became even more enjoyable because there was more interaction with the lecturers and fellow students.’

‘Seeing his enjoyment for the MBA and his passion for putting it into use, that kind of rubbed off on me,’ admits Kelly.

As a highly technical specialist in machine learning and AI, Kelly was originally leaning toward a pure maths or data science masters programme. But witnessing Warren's journey convinced her that the MBA had the potential to challenge her more by pushing her beyond her comfort zone.

‘Rather than staying comfortable and just advancing in what I’ve always done and been good at, I thought: “Let me try something different.” And maybe this could help me in my career more than those other options, especially for the direction I’m going in, moving from a specialist into a leadership role.’

For Warren, who has a background in quantitative analytics, the DBA is the logical peak of his academic mountain. Having enjoyed the formal research component of his MBA more than expected, and having found a home at Henley, he saw the four-year DBA as the next logical step.

‘While still doing my MBA, I heard the talk that the DBA was going to be launched in South Africa, and after I finished, I kept asking, ‘When’s the DBA coming? When’s the DBA coming?'

‘Obviously, we had both discussed what the next steps for studying would be if we chose to continue. It all just happened at the same time.’

The 24/7/365 study group

‘Being able to study something at the same time just fit right in,’ says Kelly. ‘It is great. I really enjoy having another common topic to talk about.’

This latest joint venture is just another in a long line of things they do together. The pair met at work and later moved to a different company together. Now, they both work fully remotely from home. They even share hobbies like training for marathons and online gaming.

‘We’re literally 24/7 together all the time,’ says Kelly. ‘I know some people might be like, that’s crazy, but it works for us.’

The best part of their closeness is the intellectual fit. Kelly, eager to get up to speed on Warren’s MBA knowledge, is looking forward to the inevitable debates. ‘We don’t always agree, but I really enjoy being able to talk to him on a specific topic and getting really deep into that and looking at each other 's point of view.’

Warren also appreciates having a ‘sounding board’ at home, a safe space where he can articulate a half-formed thought without fear of judgment. It’s like having your very own study group in your living room.

‘I guess for many couples success is about supporting each other's dreams, for us it’s about chasing them, side-by-side, every step of the way.’