Last week, we at IESE Business School celebrated our 2016 Global Alumni Reunion – GAR, as we call it. I had the honor to serve as Academic Director together with my colleague Professor Núria Mas. It was such a pleasure to welcome 2,500 or so of our 45,000 alumni from all over the world! The […]
Alliances: The Key to New Markets
Last week was a high-energy one for me. A group of top-level executives from Kenya and Nigeria came to IESE. This week is part of their programs back at Strathmore Business School and Lagos Business School. I say the week was high-energy for me because I get re-energized whenever I am with Africans, as one […]
Uncategorized
Africapitalism: Capitalism with African Values
Africapitalism is not a play on words: it’s an economic philosophy developed by Tony Elumelu, a Nigerian visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist. His philosophy represents the private sector’s commitment to the economic transformation of Africa through long-term investment that generates both economic prosperity and social value. The Tony Elumelu Foundation promotes this philosophy through the Africapitalism Institute, one […]
Into Africa: Routes to Failure and Success!
When I told a Spanish friend about my engagement with Africa, she said: “I’d love to go there and get them organized!” I thought to myself, “Thank God you’re not going!” My friend’s attitude is the same as that of some MNCs and NGOs: it’s an ethnocentric perspective that doesn’t recognize country differences – not to mention the value of […]
How personal networks matter in Africa
Last month, the annual meeting of the Strategic Management Society (SMS) revolved around the theme “Strategies in a world of networks.” Have you ever heard anyone say “connections are not important in this part of the world”? That would be quite unusual, don’t you think? It’s no surprise, then, that networks matter in Africa just […]
