UCT\u2019s Graduate School of Business has launched its inaugural International Executive Development Programme (IEDP) \u2013 and as Africa\u2019s premier business school, it plans to create a flagship international programme that is not just valuable, but unprecedented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The leaders of the future need to be able to answer tomorrow\u2019s questions, today. But the most important of these questions need to be answered with a global perspective in order to achieve maximum local relevance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, these answers need to be informed by the most pressing concerns of our time: environment, sustainability, and good governance (ESG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To build the world\u2019s most progressive and resilient organisations, incumbent and future industry leaders need to understand how their strategies can harness international best practice and trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With site visits to Tesla, Alibaba, Baidu, Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC) and Tencent, as well as engagement sessions with key Middle Eastern capital market decision makers, the the UCT GSB\u2019s International Executive Development Programme (IEDP) offers organisational leaders and decision makers an opportunity to learn about, network with, and benchmark their goals against the world\u2019s leading companies, executives and visionaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike other IEDPs offered by South African business schools, the UCT GSB has decided to theme its inaugural programme to reflect the School\u2019s expertise in and commitment to upholding the principles and values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The theme for 2024 is \u201cEnvironmental, Social, Governance\u201d (ESG) \u2013 an area of specialisation that has made the UCT GSB one of the top ranked business schools in the world, and which has recently earned it a Top 40 place in the prestigious Corporate Knights Better World ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are not the first business school in Africa to offer an IEDP programme,\u201d says the UCT GSB\u2019s Director of Business Development, Rayner Canning, \u201cbecause we thought long and hard about how to create a programme that is distinctive, and one that reflects the values and expertise of the Graduate School of Business and, at the same time will deliver the focussed impact of a customized solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The executive programme starts at the UCT GSB\u2019s fabled Breakwater campus, with an intensive immersion into topics including Leading in Volatile Times, ESG and its effect on the Evolution of Capital Markets, and the Impact of Geopolitics on African Business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delegates will then spend a week at the UCT GSB\u2019s Johannesburg campus in Sandton, where they will attend masterclass sessions on Effective Strategy Execution, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thereafter, the IEDP delegates get to apply their newfound knowledge in Dubai, Shanghai, and Beijing through the UCT GSB\u2019s network of global corporate partners and international colleagues, exploring topics such as Capital Raising and ESG Implications, The Application of Artificial Intelligence in Emerging Markets, as well as a visit to the Beijing University Campus, Red Square, and the Great Wall of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we say that the UCT GSB is Africa\u2019s gateway to the world, we must bear in mind that this is a two-way portal,\u201d says Dr Catherine Duggan, Director of the University of Cape Town\u2019s Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are imparting cutting-edge research and knowledge about emerging markets to the world; but we are also bringing international thought leadership and best practice to Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order be competitive on the international stage, says Canning, Africa\u2019s leaders need to gain insight into their global context \u2013 and then apply uniquely a African perspectives. But always in line with the UCT GSB\u2019s motto to create a new world with new ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe UCT GSB\u2019s International Development Programme has been designed to cater for the leading executive with their eyes on the future,\u201d says IEDP programme director Dr David Makovah \u201cWe\u2019re looking at the transformation of capital markets, and we\u2019re going to be exploring African opportunities in global contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur vision is to pre-emptively reward the leaders of the future by exposing them to and inspiring them with an immersive global experience. Because an inspired leader is an inspiring leader, and a new world needs new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about the UCT Graduate School of Business\u2019s International Executive Development Programme<\/strong>.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n