LYAL WHITE
Prof. Lyal White is the founder of research and advisory practice Contextual Intelligence, Director of the Academy of Life at Isizwe, and Research Associate at the Brenthurst Foundation. Prior to this, he was the founding Director of the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, where he retains a Senior Research and Visiting Faculty role.
A strategic advisor on leadership, strategy and contextual intelligence in Africa and new markets, where he focuses on nuanced approaches to learning for development, his areas of interest and expertise cover a broad range of interdisciplinary fields, with a particular focus on comparative political economy and strategy in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He is widely published in news media, academic journals and books, and a regular commentator on radio, television and social media.
Having worked in a range of sectors covering themes from investment strategy, competitiveness, leadership and culture in new and complex markets to reform, growth and development in various geographies around the world, he has developed a keen interest in measuring and understanding the complexity and opportunity around context, and how this relates to a global mindset. How countries, firms and individuals improve their competitive performance balanced with purpose and impact is key. To this end, Prof. White has undertaken various studies and developed indices around metrics of performance and economic progress.
Prof. White has vast experience in ‘on-the-ground’ research and advisory in new markets – especially in Africa and Latin America. To this end, he has championed a diversity of initiatives and publications, and worked with a wide range of partners in various countries seeking fresh opportunities, always deeply conscious of impact on the social, cultural and political domain.
Prof. White has lived and worked in South Africa, Rwanda, Argentina, Colombia, Morocco and the US. He is an active board member of the Association of African Business Schools (AABS), to which he was elected in June 2019, and a member of the Growth-Ten Academic Advisory Board, where is is also a member of the Richfield Business School faculty.
Prof. White was previously at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) at the University of Pretoria, and has taught at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, Science Po – Bordeaux, France, and the Kelly School of Business - Indiana University. He is a faculty member at Richfield Business School in South Africa, and lectures regularly at CEDEP in Fontainebleau, France, Strathmore Business School in Kenya, and was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at UC Berkeley in the US.
Lyal is committed to purpose-driven business with a deep cultural understanding and impact. The right measures of performance are key. He is of the firm belief that strong institutions and connectedness build community, harnessing long-term prosperity for people and organisations across the globe. The development of people is a crucial part of organisational strategy and vision.