GIBS hosts 2017 EFMD Middle East and Africa Conference

The University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) recently hosted the 2017 European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Middle East and Africa Conference.

Leading academics from esteemed business schools around Africa and the Middle East presented various papers during the three-day conference which took place from 8 to 10 November in Johannesburg. The theme of this year's conference was 'Developing opportunities and talent for growth'.

The EFMD is a leading international network of business schools and companies with over 800 members at the forefront of raising the standards of management education and development globally. It plays a central role in shaping an international approach to management education and is a unique forum for information, research, networking and debate on innovation and best practice in management development.

The conference featured a number of break-away sessions discussing specific papers and research as well as keynote addresses by Nadine Burquel, director Business School Services at EFMD; Louise Whittaker, executive director academic programmes, GIBS; Charlene Lew, conference co-chair and senior lecturer at GIBS; and Karim Seghir, conference co-chair and chancellor of Ajman University.

Panel discussions focused on topics such as the future of management education in Africa, leadership and diversity, job creation for youth, business schools responding to disruption and dynamic capabilities within business schools among other topics. 

Dr Charlene Lew said, 'It was an honour for GIBS to host a conference of this magnitude with distinguished thought leaders who all shared valuable and constructive insights on the enhancement of management education within a competitive evolving environment.'