Senior Executive Program—Africa
- Dates: 07 MAY–01 SEP 2023
- Format: Blended Combines both in-person and virtual learning.
- Locations: Kenya, Virtual, HBS Campus
- Fee: $26,000
- 07–12 MAY 2023 — Module 1 (Nairobi, Kenya)
- 15 MAY–25 AUG 2023 — Module 2 (Virtual, Self-Paced)
- 27 AUG–01 SEP 2023 — Module 3 (HBS Campus)
- 07–12 MAY 2023 — Module 1 (Nairobi, Kenya)
- 15 MAY–25 AUG 2023 — Module 2 (Virtual, Self-Paced)
- 27 AUG–01 SEP 2023 — Module 3 (HBS Campus)
"I am now able to consider outcomes through a clearly articulated and structured process."
"I am now able to consider outcomes through a clearly articulated and structured process."
"For me, the big takeaway revolved around the technique and science of innovation."
"For me, the big takeaway revolved around the technique and science of innovation."
"One thing that stood out was revisiting strategy. Looking at it with a fresh pair of eyes was interesting."
"One thing that stood out was revisiting strategy. Looking at it with a fresh pair of eyes was interesting."
Summary
African countries face a distinct set of social, economic, and political conditions that create unique business challenges—along with exciting opportunities. To gain a competitive advantage, businesses across the continent need exceptional, confident leaders who are fully conversant with what it takes to do business in today's digital era. This program prepares you to expand your leadership skills as well as your knowledge of local, regional, and global markets. By improving your ability to design and execute winning strategies, deliver innovative offerings, nurture high-performance teams, and navigate rapid change, you will be ready to help your company drive growth in Africa's dynamic markets.
HBS offers this program in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
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Summary
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African countries face a distinct set of social, economic, and political conditions that create unique business challenges—along with exciting opportunities. To gain a competitive advantage, businesses across the continent need exceptional, confident leaders who are fully conversant with what it takes to do business in today's digital era. This program prepares you to expand your leadership skills as well as your knowledge of local, regional, and global markets. By improving your ability to design and execute winning strategies, deliver innovative offerings, nurture high-performance teams, and navigate rapid change, you will be ready to help your company drive growth in Africa's dynamic markets.
HBS offers this program in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Key Benefits
Featuring a regional in-person module, an independent work module, and an in-person module on the HBS campus, this program enables rapidly growing organizations to drive business momentum through more effective leadership. By gaining deeper insight into the best practices of successful business leaders, you will be better equipped to lead effectively and help your organization achieve ambitious goals.
- Design an effective strategy for business growth in an African context—within your country or across borders
- Differentiate your offerings and deliver more value to customers
- Implement changes that align your organization for optimal execution
- Improve your organization's ability to innovate, including creating new digital processes and offerings
- Build a sustainable, accountable organization with greater transparency and stronger governance
- Develop enduring bonds with accomplished peers from across the African continent
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Key Benefits
-
Featuring a regional in-person module, an independent work module, and an in-person module on the HBS campus, this program enables rapidly growing organizations to drive business momentum through more effective leadership. By gaining deeper insight into the best practices of successful business leaders, you will be better equipped to lead effectively and help your organization achieve ambitious goals.
- Design an effective strategy for business growth in an African context—within your country or across borders
- Differentiate your offerings and deliver more value to customers
- Implement changes that align your organization for optimal execution
- Improve your organization's ability to innovate, including creating new digital processes and offerings
- Build a sustainable, accountable organization with greater transparency and stronger governance
- Develop enduring bonds with accomplished peers from across the African continent
Who Should Attend
Experienced senior executives in African companies who have significant responsibility in strategic decision-making.
Participants typically represent growth-oriented organizations, including:
- Established private or state-owned companies
- Local, multinational, or pan-African businesses
- Growing family businesses
- Nonprofit organizations
- Government agencies, especially those working closely with the private sector
Participants might include CEOs, CFOs, business line heads, or other senior members of a company's executive team, as well as directors general of government agencies.
A limited amount of partial scholarship funding may be available for qualified applicants from not-for-profit organizations. Please include a request for funding in your application.
Program for Leadership Development participants earn 10 PLDA Points on completion
of this program.
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Who Should Attend
-
Experienced senior executives in African companies who have significant responsibility in strategic decision-making.
Participants typically represent growth-oriented organizations, including:
- Established private or state-owned companies
- Local, multinational, or pan-African businesses
- Growing family businesses
- Nonprofit organizations
- Government agencies, especially those working closely with the private sector
Participants might include CEOs, CFOs, business line heads, or other senior members of a company's executive team, as well as directors general of government agencies.
A limited amount of partial scholarship funding may be available for qualified applicants from not-for-profit organizations. Please include a request for funding in your application.
Program for Leadership Development participants earn 10 PLDA Points on completion of this program.
Dive Deeper into the Experience
See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.
Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.
Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.
Blended Learning and Living at HBS
Admissions Criteria and Process
The Application Process
To apply, you will submit:
- The application, telling us about your experience, your organization, and your current responsibilities, goals, and challenges
- A letter of reference from someone familiar with your work
Answering Your Questions
Letter of Reference
Application Submission
English Proficiency
Learning Commitment
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
The Application Process
To apply, you will submit:
- The application, telling us about your experience, your organization, and your current responsibilities, goals, and challenges
- A letter of reference from someone familiar with your work
Answering Your Questions
Letter of Reference
Application Submission
English Proficiency
Learning Commitment
Application Review
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
What You Will Learn
The Senior Executive Program—Africa is designed to help you grow as a leader while minimizing time away from work. Emphasizing business challenges of greatest relevance to leaders in African markets, the curriculum examines the real-life experiences of executives from Africa and around the world to illuminate best practices in management and leadership.
Participants should expect to spend at least 30-35 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending Module 1 of the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
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What You Will Learn
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The Senior Executive Program—Africa is designed to help you grow as a leader while minimizing time away from work. Emphasizing business challenges of greatest relevance to leaders in African markets, the curriculum examines the real-life experiences of executives from Africa and around the world to illuminate best practices in management and leadership.
Participants should expect to spend at least 30-35 hours on self-paced case preparation prior to attending Module 1 of the program. Case materials will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
Program Format
The program includes three modules over five months. The intensive in-person Module 1 takes place at a different site within Africa each year, and includes a focus on strategy, innovation, and leadership through networking, faculty presentations, and simulations. During Module 2, you will address an important business challenge facing your organization and hone your problem-solving skills. This time back at your organization also provides the opportunity to begin incorporating new strategies and tactics immediately.
The intensive in-person Module 3 on the HBS campus combines case studies, presentations from both HBS faculty and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) faculty, dynamic classroom discussions, small group exercises, and guest speakers. Throughout the program, you will also have ample opportunity for interaction with faculty and peers inside and outside the class sessions.
Collaborative learning is an integral part of the experience. To maximize the benefit for everyone, you are expected to attend every session, complete all assignments, and contribute effectively in the class and in small groups.
-
Program Format
-
The program includes three modules over five months. The intensive in-person Module 1 takes place at a different site within Africa each year, and includes a focus on strategy, innovation, and leadership through networking, faculty presentations, and simulations. During Module 2, you will address an important business challenge facing your organization and hone your problem-solving skills. This time back at your organization also provides the opportunity to begin incorporating new strategies and tactics immediately.
The intensive in-person Module 3 on the HBS campus combines case studies, presentations from both HBS faculty and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) faculty, dynamic classroom discussions, small group exercises, and guest speakers. Throughout the program, you will also have ample opportunity for interaction with faculty and peers inside and outside the class sessions.
Collaborative learning is an integral part of the experience. To maximize the benefit for everyone, you are expected to attend every session, complete all assignments, and contribute effectively in the class and in small groups.
Module DetailsExpand AllCollapse All
Module 1: Strategy, digital innovation, and leadershipModule 1: Strategy, digital innovation, and leadership
Business success begins with a sound strategy—one based on a clear-sighted understanding of your firm's capabilities and competitive dynamics. This module will focus on the changing nature of doing business in the digital era and how to innovate with digital strategies in mind. You will learn how companies deliver value to their customers and evolve their offerings to sustain competitive advantage. As you discover new ways to revitalize your strategy, you will explore approaches for creating a new digital business, disrupting your current business with digital strategies, and refreshing and reinventing the business you started with. You will also learn how to evolve your leadership style in ways that enhance your organization's success. Other key topics include:
- Creating superior customer value
- Choosing your market position
- Designing corporate strategy in a multi-business organization
- Crafting digital strategies
- Aligning product and service innovation plans with business strategy
- Building and leading high-performance teams
- Understanding leadership within an African context
- Maximizing the contributions of top talent
Module 2: Independent learning and work on Big Business Challenge ProjectModule 2: Independent learning and work on Big Business Challenge Project
During this module, you will:
- Complete an online course, Design Thinking and Innovation. In this course, you will learn how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges and build products, strategies, teams, and environments for optimal use and performance. The take-aways from this course will help you in your Big Business Challenge Project.
- Work on your Big Business Challenge Project. Before attending Module 1, you should identify a business challenge faced by your organization, such as market evolution, problems with your business strategy, or executional difficulties. (Upon acceptance to the program, you will receive information to help you select your challenge.) During Module 2, you will work to develop a plan to address this challenge. A project reviewer is available to help you strengthen your plan.
- Apply program learning in your workplace. Test new leadership and business management knowledge acquired during Module 1, reflect on the results, and gather insights and questions to share with faculty and peers.
Module 3: Thinking globally, driving local and regional growth, and sustaining successModule 3: Thinking globally, driving local and regional growth, and sustaining success
Convening with peers and faculty in Boston, you will examine a new realm of leadership topics and gain a deeper understanding of the connections among businesses, governments, and the international economy. Key topics include:
- Competing in the global economy and understanding trends that will impact African businesses
- Choosing an optimal path for growth
- Recognizing and addressing institutional voids
- Serving the bottom of the pyramid in diverse African markets
- Building effective partnerships and financing major projects
- Creating a sustainable organization through improved approaches to governance and leadership development
- Measuring and communicating performance
- Navigating corporate finance and expanding your knowledge of financial markets, institutions, and instruments
- Connecting with consumers by leveraging the power of marketing
During Module 3, you will also present the results of your Big Business Challenge Project to faculty and peers, using their feedback to refine your action plan and prepare to execute it.
Module 1: Strategy, digital innovation, and leadership
Business success begins with a sound strategy—one based on a clear-sighted understanding of your firm's capabilities and competitive dynamics. This module will focus on the changing nature of doing business in the digital era and how to innovate with digital strategies in mind. You will learn how companies deliver value to their customers and evolve their offerings to sustain competitive advantage. As you discover new ways to revitalize your strategy, you will explore approaches for creating a new digital business, disrupting your current business with digital strategies, and refreshing and reinventing the business you started with. You will also learn how to evolve your leadership style in ways that enhance your organization's success. Other key topics include:
- Creating superior customer value
- Choosing your market position
- Designing corporate strategy in a multi-business organization
- Crafting digital strategies
- Aligning product and service innovation plans with business strategy
- Building and leading high-performance teams
- Understanding leadership within an African context
- Maximizing the contributions of top talent
Module 2: Independent learning and work on Big Business Challenge Project
During this module, you will:
- Complete an online course, Design Thinking and Innovation. In this course, you will learn how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges and build products, strategies, teams, and environments for optimal use and performance. The take-aways from this course will help you in your Big Business Challenge Project.
- Work on your Big Business Challenge Project. Before attending Module 1, you should identify a business challenge faced by your organization, such as market evolution, problems with your business strategy, or executional difficulties. (Upon acceptance to the program, you will receive information to help you select your challenge.) During Module 2, you will work to develop a plan to address this challenge. A project reviewer is available to help you strengthen your plan.
- Apply program learning in your workplace. Test new leadership and business management knowledge acquired during Module 1, reflect on the results, and gather insights and questions to share with faculty and peers.
Module 3: Thinking globally, driving local and regional growth, and sustaining success
Convening with peers and faculty in Boston, you will examine a new realm of leadership topics and gain a deeper understanding of the connections among businesses, governments, and the international economy. Key topics include:
- Competing in the global economy and understanding trends that will impact African businesses
- Choosing an optimal path for growth
- Recognizing and addressing institutional voids
- Serving the bottom of the pyramid in diverse African markets
- Building effective partnerships and financing major projects
- Creating a sustainable organization through improved approaches to governance and leadership development
- Measuring and communicating performance
- Navigating corporate finance and expanding your knowledge of financial markets, institutions, and instruments
- Connecting with consumers by leveraging the power of marketing
During Module 3, you will also present the results of your Big Business Challenge Project to faculty and peers, using their feedback to refine your action plan and prepare to execute it.
Special Program FeaturesExpand AllCollapse All
Living/discussion group workLiving/discussion group work
A multi-module program creates the opportunity to build close, trusting relationships with a small group of peer executives who can understand your challenges—but are not part of your organization. Throughout the program, you will work with a small group of peers who will stimulate your learning as you:
- Absorb global insights by working with executives from different countries, cultures, and professional backgrounds
- Share diverse perspectives as you discuss cases and assignments
- Complete small group exercises as a team
- Give and receive feedback and advice—personal and professional—in a safe environment
While on the HBS campus in Boston, you will also share common space with your living/discussion group, forging relationships that serve as a valuable source of peer feedback, support, and advice.
Business Challenge ProjectBusiness Challenge Project
You will work on a practical plan for addressing a major business challenge confronting your organization. This exercise will enable you to:
- Transform your learning into meaningful action for your business
- Improve your skills at articulating an issue to peers and soliciting their input
- Identify and prepare for potential roadblocks and leadership challenges that may arise as you work to implement your plan
- Learn a methodology that will help you address future challenges faced by your organization
Ongoing support and networkingOngoing support and networking
Your connection to HBS will continue long after the program ends, providing exclusive access to information that can help you continue to develop as a leader, expand your network, and sustain your company's success. Upon completion of the program, you will receive:
- A complimentary subscription to Harvard Business Review
- Membership in HBS online communities through which you can exchange business ideas
- Periodic emails from HBS Working Knowledge, offering you a first look at cutting-edge thinking from HBS faculty
- Certificate of completion from the Harvard Business School Executive Education Senior Executive Leadership Program—Africa
Living/discussion group work
A multi-module program creates the opportunity to build close, trusting relationships with a small group of peer executives who can understand your challenges—but are not part of your organization. Throughout the program, you will work with a small group of peers who will stimulate your learning as you:
- Absorb global insights by working with executives from different countries, cultures, and professional backgrounds
- Share diverse perspectives as you discuss cases and assignments
- Complete small group exercises as a team
- Give and receive feedback and advice—personal and professional—in a safe environment
While on the HBS campus in Boston, you will also share common space with your living/discussion group, forging relationships that serve as a valuable source of peer feedback, support, and advice.
Business Challenge Project
You will work on a practical plan for addressing a major business challenge confronting your organization. This exercise will enable you to:
- Transform your learning into meaningful action for your business
- Improve your skills at articulating an issue to peers and soliciting their input
- Identify and prepare for potential roadblocks and leadership challenges that may arise as you work to implement your plan
- Learn a methodology that will help you address future challenges faced by your organization
Ongoing support and networking
Your connection to HBS will continue long after the program ends, providing exclusive access to information that can help you continue to develop as a leader, expand your network, and sustain your company's success. Upon completion of the program, you will receive:
- A complimentary subscription to Harvard Business Review
- Membership in HBS online communities through which you can exchange business ideas
- Periodic emails from HBS Working Knowledge, offering you a first look at cutting-edge thinking from HBS faculty
- Certificate of completion from the Harvard Business School Executive Education Senior Executive Leadership Program—Africa
The HBS Advantage
HBS Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
In the Senior Executive Program—Africa, HBS faculty teach alongside top African faculty who are deeply immersed in African business practices, enabling participants to benefit from a wide range of African and global business insights and best practices.
Herman C. Krannert Professor of Business Administration
Executive Director of faculty and Lecturer in the Leadership Cluster
Founding Director and Sasol Chair of Strategic Management
Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance
Thomas Henry Carroll/Ford Foundation Professor of Business Administration
Baker Foundation Professor, Malcolm P. Mcnair Professor of Marketing
John D. Black Professor of Business Administration
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The HBS Advantage
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HBS Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
In the Senior Executive Program—Africa, HBS faculty teach alongside top African faculty who are deeply immersed in African business practices, enabling participants to benefit from a wide range of African and global business insights and best practices.
Faculty Cochairs
Herman C. Krannert Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:StrategyGordon Institute of Business Science University of Pretoria:Executive Director of faculty and Lecturer in the Leadership Cluster
FacultyGordon Institute of Business Science University of Pretoria:Founding Director and Sasol Chair of Strategic Management
Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance
HBS Units:FinanceEntrepreneurial ManagementThomas Henry Carroll/Ford Foundation Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Business, Government and the International EconomyBaker Foundation Professor, Malcolm P. Mcnair Professor of Marketing
HBS Unit:MarketingJohn D. Black Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Business, Government and the International Economy
Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Your Peers Expand Your Learning
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Global PerspectiveExperience the world in your classroom.