Nine years at number one: Henley leads South Africa’s MBA rankings again

Henley Business School Africa has been recognised by PMR.africa as South Africa's leading MBA business school for the ninth consecutive year, extending a run that began in 2018.

The Diamond Arrow Award is based on the views of business leaders, HR executives and CEOs, who evaluate institutions according to the calibre of the graduates they employ. Measures include strategic thinking, leadership capability, innovation, ethical judgement and the ability to apply learning in the workplace.

For organisations investing in leadership development, the distinction is significant: it reflects how MBA graduates perform after leaving the classroom and the value they create in their organisations.

‘Business schools don't create value by awarding degrees,’ explains Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean of Henley Business School Africa and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading. ‘They create value by developing leaders who go back into their organisations and make better decisions, build stronger teams and create lasting impact. When employers continue to recognise those outcomes over many years, it tells us we're staying focused on what really matters.'

Global insight with African relevance

Henley's MBA combines an international qualification and a global alumni network of more than 100,000 professionals across 165 countries with learning grounded in the challenges facing African leaders and organisations.

Lyneth Zungu, Director of MBA Programmes at Henley Business School Africa, says the programme is designed to develop leaders who can navigate uncertainty, work across borders and remain connected to the people and communities they serve.

"Organisations increasingly succeed or fail because of the quality of their leadership. Our role is to develop people who can think strategically across borders, lead with empathy, challenge assumptions and remain effective when there are no obvious answers."

An MBA designed around real life

Henley's 30-month Flexible Executive MBA is structured for working professionals. Blended learning, collaborative teaching and practical workplace application allow students to continue building their careers while studying. The school's longstanding family-friendly approach also recognises that the years in which executives pursue an MBA are often among the most demanding in their professional and personal lives.

Dr Khathu Ramukumba, Board Chairperson at SABC, believes that philosophy made all the difference to his MBA experience. ‘I was drawn to the degree's high ranking and, perhaps even more importantly, the family-friendly structure that allowed me to balance my demanding work responsibilities with further education while still making time for my family. It’s a blend that few other business schools could offer.’

The programme also places personal mastery at the centre of leadership development. Reflection, coaching, values-based leadership and workplace application are woven through the curriculum so that self-awareness and resilience grow alongside strategic and commercial capability.

Foster-Pedley believes this is where many MBA programmes are changing most significantly. ‘Leadership begins with understanding yourself before you attempt to lead anyone else. Knowledge can be taught relatively quickly. Judgement, resilience and self-awareness take much longer to develop, yet they're the qualities organisations depend on when uncertainty becomes the norm.’

Learning measured by workplace impact

Assignments are built around real organisational challenges rather than hypothetical exercises. Students apply new thinking in their own workplaces, testing ideas with academic guidance and peer feedback. This gives sponsoring organisations the opportunity to see benefits during the MBA journey as participants tackle strategic problems, introduce new approaches and build confidence in leading change.

For Zungu, the ninth consecutive ranking is not a finish line but a reminder that leadership itself never stands still.

'Our responsibility isn't simply to maintain a standard. It's to keep asking what tomorrow's leaders will need that yesterday's leaders didn't. That's how you remain relevant over time."

The ninth consecutive PMR.africa recognition points to the sustained value employers see in Henley graduates: leaders equipped to strengthen organisations, develop people and create meaningful impact in an increasingly complex world.

Photo caption: (from left) Kim Edwards, Lyneth Zungu, Elelwang Dhlamini, Lindo Ximba, Zakithi Thusi