Interview with Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean and Director of the Henley Business School in Johannesburg South Africa
by Bob Larcher – iCN Journalist (France)
Jon Foster-Pedley
Jon started his career as a scholarship pilot cadet at the Royal Airforce in Cranwell, after a period in aerobatics and as professional pilot, he joined British Aerospace in a sales role selling aircraft in Africa.
After completing an MBA at Ashridge, Jon became the Marketing and Education Development Director for Euresas, an aerospace business school created by Airbus and, it’s then, partners, specialising in sales & marketing; Jon was part of the team that successfully guided the school through the aeronautical crisis of 1992.
In 1995 he emigrated to South Africa and took up, firstly, the post of lecturer in strategy and then the role of Director of the Executive MBA at the University of Cape Town
After a short period leading an innovation incubator in New Zealand he was appointed, in 2011, to his current position as Dean and Director of the Henley Business School in Johannesburg South Africa
Henley Business College South Africa 
When Jon arrived at Henley Africa in 2011, the school had a full-time staff of 5 for its small annual intake for its one MBA programme and was technically bankrupt. Today, almost 10 years, later the school is recognised by the leading UK, European and US accrediting bodies there is a full-time staff of almost 75 people, a student population of 4500, and it is financially autonomous – in fact revenues have increased by 1000%. Henley’s global alumni network is 80000, and has been ranked by the Economist as the No. 1 alumni grouping in the world for potential to network.
Today the business schools’ purpose is ‘to build the people who build the businesses that build Africa’.
Source: iCN Issue 30 (Group & Team Coaching); pages 29-33
About Bob Larcher
Bob helps people to develop their interpersonal skills, usually within a leadership or teamwork context. He has been doing this since 1986.
He designed numerous corporate, personal, team & leadership development programs for companies such as Rolls-Royce, British Airways, Airbus, Les Française de Jeux.
HE had helped (and still helps) everyone from apprentices to CEO’s in corporate giants, SME’s, charities, associations and the public sector. He prepared future & young managers for their upcoming challenges, to ease into their first post. Also coached middle managers for assessment centres and have advised senior management teams going through organisational transformations.
