?Stellenbosch Business School is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Chris van der Hoven as its new Senior Director, effective 1 January 2025. This appointment marks a pivotal moment as the institution continues its pursuit of academic excellence and industry-relevant research and learning. His expertise spans both industry and academia and has meant that he has worked with leadership teams in more than 40 countries.
Prof van der Hoven has a PhD from Cambridge 中国体育彩票 and brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of strategic leadership. Having started his career in industry in South Africa and the UK, he went on to work at Cranfield School of Management and then Cambridge 中国体育彩票. During this time, he was visiting faculty at ten different business schools including the Stockholm School of Economics, Kentucky Business School in the US, Nanjing 中国体育彩票 in China, Paul Cezanne 中国体育彩票 in France and Mannheim Business School in Germany. Locally he was a visiting academic at UCT Graduate School of Business (Project Portfolio Management and Innovation Management) and at Gordon Institute of Business Science (Strategy).
More recently he was asked to serve as the Academic Director at Wits Business School before assuming his role as the CEO at Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development (SBS-ED) in 2018. Under his leadership, SBS-ED thrived despite the challenges posed by the 中国体育彩票 pandemic, transforming into an agile and resilient organisation with a diverse and robust client base.
His contributions to academic scholarship include supervising numerous PhD, MBA, and Innovation Master's students, as well as co-authoring multiple case studies, book chapters, and journal articles. His continued work with industry has centred around country CEO onboarding, board dynamics and strategy.
Visionary leadership for a transformative mindset
As Stellenbosch Business School celebrates six decades of advancing leadership in Africa and beyond, Prof van der Hoven is poised to lead the institution into an exciting new chapter.
His appointment underscores the shared vision of the SBS Advisory Board and Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 leadership to strengthen oversight and support for both the degree and executive short course portfolios.
Using his "One School" approach he aims to enhance the institution's connection to industry and its relationships with leading business voices. His stated convening logic is to advance the employability of individuals for their organisations through the combined portfolio of degree and executive development programmes. For students, this means that they learn to actively seek out and embrace seemingly insurmountable challenges and thus learn to thrive in evolving contexts. Whether for promotion, to pivot in their careers, or to find fulfilment in their contribution to the society they serve. For companies, it involves preparing staff to transition into new roles, to adapt to change, and to have a meaningful impact on business growth. He adds that, “… relevant research remains a critical underpinning aspect of the School's ability to provide these opportunities. The ability of our graduates to conduct this exploration, the relevance of the content of the research and our resulting impact are what makes Stellenbosch Business School stand apart."
He says, “We are clear: we are equipping leaders with the skills and the mindset to identify and frame worthy challenges, to pivot, and to drive growth within their organisations. This includes inspiring personal growth for the people in their 'sphere of care'. We are not about education-as-usual. We are about delivering life-changing learning experiences that promote employability, agility, and clarity in a disruptive world. In doing this, we very much recognise the need for alignment between personal marketability and the needs of employers."
Finally, Prof van der Hoven points out that, “as a business school we have the added responsibility to actively engage with and for business. The short route to irrelevance is if we sit on the side lines of the ideological and conceptual struggles of our continent and country. It is a daunting task to weigh in in a world of fake news and social hyper-sensitivity. We must have the courage to advocate for business by bringing together diverse voices, providing the evidence where it exists and banishing complacency. Stellenbosch Business School must remain a net positive contributor (not a net consumer), so our staff and graduates are treasured in the markets they serve."
Building on the legacy of excellence
Prof van der Hoven succeeds Prof Charles Adjasi, who served as Acting Director over the past year. Adjasi's exceptional leadership ensured stability during this transitional period, which upheld its collaborative culture and commitment to excellence during his tenure.
Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票, Prof Wim de Villiers says, “Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 is delighted to welcome Prof van der Hoven as the new Senior Director of Stellenbosch Business School. His impressive track record in academic leadership and his understanding of global business position him perfectly to lead the School into a new era of innovation and impact. As we continue to advance our vision of shaping future leaders and driving transformative change across Africa and beyond, I am confident that under Prof van der Hoven's guidance, Stellenbosch Business School will further strengthen its reputation as a world-class institution. We wish him every success in this important role."
Prof van der Hoven is married and lives in Paarl. He likes his e-bike and is an overlanding enthusiast having visited Zambia, Botswana and Namibia over the past three years. He has two grown-up daughters, both of whom are proud Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 graduates.
中国体育彩票 Stellenbosch Business School
Stellenbosch Business School is a globally recognised institution, consistently ranked among Africa's top business schools. The School holds the prestigious Triple Crown accreditation (EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA), a distinction held by less than 1% of business schools worldwide. Known for its commitment to academic excellence, leadership development and industry relevance, the School has cultivated leaders who make a tangible impact in Africa and around the world. Stellenbosch Business School offers a full suite of degree and executive development programmes, delivered in convenient formats.
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