But why do people go to a business school? What do they look for in a business school?
The immediate thing that comes to mind, unsurprisingly, is career success, because business schools often offer significant leadership training. Leadership requires the capacity to master certain essential soft skills that define effective leaders at every organizational level, and most of the leading business schools in the world take the development of these skills quite seriously and incorporate this aspect into their training. They will have programs designed to build a problem-solving mindset that is crucial for effective leadership. The programs finesse the traits needed to flourish in today’s cut-throat business world by requiring one to assess problems, collaborate, communicate, and strategize.
Secondly, people seeking business schools are often pragmatic and open to the possibility of options. No institutions offer career mobility and skillsets as business schools do. Their focus on the development of management skills is the logical option for individuals seeking a comprehensive upgrade in their portfolio.
Thirdly, it is impossible to ignore financial motivation– one is typically trying to improve their salary prospects when they look at investing time and money in a business school degree. In many ways, it is a valid expectation – going to business school can significantly increase your earning potential, and this is especially true if you get a business master’s degree.
Finally, and the most understated reason is the potent networks one develops at business schools, and how they lend you an edge in the business world. Business schools will be filled with intelligent, driven, goal-oriented people who will be targeted by the business world. By creating interpersonal connections with these individuals, one increases the capacity for rapport in future business interactions in the business world. This rapport can be because of individual personal connections, or because one has been able to tap into the hive mentality of these institutions. Whichever way you look at it, these interpersonal connections will lend you an edge – it does help to know people.
Almost everything on the planet revolves around business now. One could say this has always been the case, and it is simply more obvious today because globalization, the digitization of information and human interaction, and the increasingly complex competition for, and allocation of resources, have made it so. One could argue that never before have business schools been more essential in providing the skills society needs to thrive.
This brings us round to Strathmore University Business School, which, in hindsight, seems to have been founded by individuals with some considerable foresight, or a seeming capacity to peek at the future.
From Humble Beginnings to Becoming One of Africa’s Most Renowned Business School
Strathmore University Business School is one of the schools at Strathmore University.
Strathmore University started as Strathmore College in Kenya in 1961. It was the first multi-racial, multi-religious advanced-level sixth form college offering science and art subjects. It was started by a group of individuals who were inspired and encouraged by Saint Josemaría Escrivá, a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and the founder of Opus Dei, who was later canonized by the Pope in 2002. The group of individuals formed an educational trust, now called the Strathmore Educational Trust, to oversee the development of the college.
The College’s initial focus was accountancy, with its first intake in 1966, by which time the college was offering both academic and professional courses. The first batch of students were accountancy students who were preparing for the UK based Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). They were sponsored by Shell East Africa, British American Tobacco Kenya and the East African Breweries. This pattern of interaction with the corporate world would later become a hallmark of the business school that Strathmore evolved into.
By 1982, the college was offering evening classes in Accountancy. Again, the students were sponsored by various companies, further consolidating Strathmore’s synergies with the corporate world.
In 1986, in response to a request by the Trustees, the Government of Kenya donated land on Ole Sangale Road, in Madaraka Estate for what the College was referring to as the Madaraka Campus Project. It had the backing of the European Union and the Italian Government, who were committed to the project’s goals of a co-educational college that would offer courses in Accountancy and Management.
Construction of the new campus commenced in September 1989. Meanwhile, in January 1991, the Information Technology Centre was started in the Lavington Campus to run computer courses leading to the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (formerly Institute of Data Processing Management) Diploma and Higher Diploma. In January 1992, a Distance Learning Centre was opened to offer correspondence courses in Accountancy to students who are unable to attend lectures.
In 1993, Strathmore College merged with Kianda College and moved to the Ole Sangale Campus in Madaraka Estate. By 2002, the college had been awarded a Letter of Interim Authority to operate as a university with a Faculty of Commerce and a Faculty of Information Technology.
In 2005, the Strathmore Business School was established, with academic linkages to some of the top business schools in the world, including IESE Business School in Spain and Harvard Business School, thus completing a fascinating and organic journey.
It was in 2008 that Strathmore College achieved a full-fledged University status after it was awarded a charter by the Kenyan government, with its present-day title, Strathmore University.
It will not come as a surprise that by 2016, Strathmore University Business School had spread its wings beyond Kenya, with a physical presence in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, and a virtual presence in South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Mauritius and Ghana.
This growth reflects a clear Mission and Vision of Strathmore University Business School:
Absa, ENS Africa, A&O Shearman and Nomura Advise Asahi Holdings on USD 2.3bn Acquisition of 65% Stake in EABLMission: “Service to society through developing virtuous leaders by providing world-class executive management education in a local setting”.
Vision: “To be a premier business school in Africa with international repute.”
The Business School’s Programmes are developed to capture the imagination, needs and demands of the marketplace, both in terms of potential students, and the business, corporate and public workspace.
Strathmore University is headed by Dr Vincent Ogutu, the Vice-Chancellor Designate while the Business School is headed by Dr George N. Njenga, the Executive Dean and Dr Angela Ndunge, the Deputy Executive Dean.
Dr Ogutu holds a PhD in Organizational Management from Rutgers University, an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London and a BA in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
Dr George N. Njenga, over and above his Executive Dean role, is the Director of Strathmore Research and Consultancy Company. He holds a PhD (Hons.) in Political Philosophy from the University of Navarra, a top university in Spain. He holds a Master’s in Governance and Culture of Institutions (MGCI) from the same University and another Master’s in Business Administration from the United States International University (USIU). He is also a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya, amongst other professional qualifications.
Dr Angela Ndunge, the Acting Executive Dean at the Business School is also a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and Leadership. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Psychology from the University of Nottingham and an MSc in Work and Organizational Psychology from the same University. She is a Chartered Organizational Psychologist and the Academic Director of the Senior Management Leadership Programme (SMLP).
World-Class Executive Education Programmes
Below is a cursory list of the Programmes offered at Strathmore University Business School:
- Comprehensive Leadership Programmes:
- These target top-tier business leaders including board members, C Suite executives, presidents and chief decision-makers of companies with interests or a presence in Africa.
- Corporate Governance Programmes:
- These are Programmes designed for women serving on board and or C-Suite positions seeking to gain a deeper understanding of corporate governance;
- Chairpersons and Vice-chairs of private, public-sector entities and committees.
- Directors who have had basic but fundamental corporate governance training, as well as having served at least two years on boards of listed companies, parastatals, private companies as well as NGOs;
- Directors of publicly listed corporations, private companies, government-owned enterprises, and not-for-profit organizations;
- Chief executives and senior executives aspiring to board entry;
- Owners of fast-growing enterprises seeking to build boards of directors in their organizations, and newly appointed corporate board members.
- Entrepreneurship Programmes:
- These are designed for founders and owners of SMEs with an annual turnover of Kshs. 50 million, 5+ employees and over 5 years in business, and family business founders, 2nd, 3rd and successive generation family members who are currently executive directors, non-executive directors and board members of their respective family businesses.
- Finance Programmes:
- These Programmes are designed for new and experienced Managers, Project Managers and Administrators who want to strengthen their knowledge of accounting and finance terminology;
- Potential and existing investors in this asset class, entrepreneurs seeking to interact with the asset class and consultants and service providers;
- Middle-level managers, project managers, project coordinators, accountants, personal assistants, grant managers, grant administrators, entrepreneurs, human resource managers, team
- Leaders of private and state corporations, NGOs and anyone seeking to enhance their professional skills.
- Anyone interested in knowing more about anti-money laundering, especially Stockbrokers, Investment Bankers and Fund Managers.
- Thematic Leadership Programmes:
- These Programmes are best suited for business executives, project managers and team managers of private, state corporations and NGOs and others involved directly or indirectly with project management.
- Middle-level managers, project managers, project coordinators, accountants, personal assistants, entrepreneurs, business executives, human resource managers.
- Team leaders of private and state corporations, NGOs and anyone seeking to enhance their professional skills.
- Senior managers and all professionals who might have undertaken the basic Monitoring & Evaluation training and need to progress to the advanced level.
- Specially Themed Programmes:
- These are Programmes designed for niche areas such as grants management, M&E, fleet management, data analytics and data governance. They are best suited for transport managers/officers, logistics managers, grants managers, data science/analytics specialists, audit and risk directors, project managers and sales managers, among others.
- Coach Training Programmes:
- The coaching Programmes are designed for leaders at all levels and also compliment all the other executive education Programmes offered by the Business School.
- Public Policy Programmes
- These programmes are specifically targeted at individuals with a keen interest in public policy issues.
- Healthcare Management Programmes
- The healthcare management Programmes are designed for individuals working in the healthcare sector.
SBS’ most innovative Programme offering, however, is what is referred to as Custom Solutions. Within this offering, a Programme can be designed for an organization that is structured around:
- Slight adjustments to an existing Programme
- Permitted reviews of course structure, content and material
- Development of an entirely new Programme
International Repute and working with the world’s best
From initially partnering with IESE (a leading global business school offering MBA and Executive Education programs and ranked number one in the world by The Financial Times since 2015) and Harvard Business School (the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, which is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world, and is the one that first comes to mind when you think of business schools), Strathmore University Business School has added the following international partnerships:
- Cranfield University – a British postgraduate public research university specializing in science, engineering, design, technology and management.
- Global Business School Network – a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington DC working to strengthen management education for emerging markets through a unique global network of business schools.
- Association of African Business Schools – an association of leading business schools throughout Africa that provides member schools with an endorsement of the quality, an opportunity to learn from peers, and access to a worldwide network.
- Harvard School of Public Health – The public health school of Harvard University is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts.
- Nanyang Business School – widely regarded as Singapore’s premier business school and is consistently ranked among the world’s best.
- The GIBS Institute of the University of Pretoria.
These partnerships and their synergies form impeccable references, of course.
The Strathmore University Business School has also added to its corporate partnerships; (initially: Shell East Africa (now Vivo Energy Kenya), British American Tobacco Kenya and the East African Breweries) ABSA Group Limited, Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, JAVA House, Global Communities, Multichoice, Platcorp Holdings Ltd, NCBA Bank, Stanbic Bank, Old Mutual, MUSONI Microfinance, TOTAL Energies, Kenya Red Cross, TIGO, SAFARICOM, Nation Media Group, PORTICUS, Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, Standard Group, KenGen, Kenya Revenue Authority, and Kenya National Highways Authority.
These partnerships help feed into the Strathmore process of understanding what is needed in the business, corporate and public workspace, and customize its education process to respond to these demands.
Strathmore University Business School has patented its approach to an education process tailored for executives, what you might call The Strathmore Effect: using a learner-centred approach, enhanced by an unmatched learning ambience, with an experienced professional Team, offering an education defined by quality, market relevance, virtue, and relevance, to produce the ultimate world-class executive, one that can excel on a global stage.
And that, friends, is a summary of the Strathmore story, and how it has emerged as one of Africa’s leading business schools. And this is a cursory glance – a closer examination of Strathmore University Business School can be found by clicking this link: https://sbs.strathmore.edu/
