EY-Parthenon Real-World Strategy Dialogues – Professor Adrian Saville explains why businesses must navigate change to thrive in South Africa

In the first episode of EY-Parthenon’s Real-World Strategy Dialogues – a new podcast series by EY-Parthenon – Professor Adrian Saville explains how businesses can build strategies to navigate change.

Saville is a professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), and is recognised as a leading strategist, academic, economist, and investment manager – with over 25 years of global corporate experience.

In 2000, he founded Cannon Asset Managers. He served as its CIO until 2017 and then as its CEO until 2021.

He has also served as the Chairman and Investment Manager of Venture Capital Investment Fund, the Chief Strategist of Citadel Investment Services, and an Investment Specialist at Genera Capital in 2021.

Saville has worked at GIBS since 2003 as a Professor of Economics and Finance and, more recently, as the Director of its Centre for African Management and Markets.

He has also lectured economics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is currently a visiting Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

EY-Parthenon interview

In this interview, Saville discusses the uncertainties an election year brings for South African businesses.

He talks about how businesses can build strategies to navigate change, and warns against the most common strategy errors.

Saville then explains whether businesses can truly disrupt from within and discusses the importance of fostering innovation.

He also highlights the strategic imperatives that executive leadership teams must get right for their business to be successful.

Finally, Saville talks about the strategies and principles he applies to manage the multiple businesses he is involved in.

The full EY-Parthenon interview with Professor Adrian Saville is embedded below.