Henley Business School dean Elena Spasova talks to Ambition editor Colette Doyle about how the MBA has perfected the art of creating resilient leaders and the importance of designing a postgraduate management qualification specifically tailored to the realities of the South African market In conversation with… Elena Spasova
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to be in your current role “It’s a profound honour to lead Henley, one of Europe’s most established and respected business schools. I think my diverse international and professional experience has prepared me for this responsibility in ways I couldn’t have imagined. “My professional journey began in corporate strategy consulting, which provided a robust foundation in professional practice across Europe and North America. While that was an invaluable period, a strong passion for advancing knowledge and fostering learning more directly led me to transition to academia over 16 years ago. “This path has allowed me to contribute through original research and focus on the development of others. As I had a young family at that time, the greater flexibility of an academic role also offered a more manageable way to do what I love. “My education has been international in scope. I attained my MBA in the Netherlands and an MSc in Economics from Florida State University, plus a PhD in International Business from the University of Sheffield in the UK. “All these threads – the practical insights from consulting, academic discovery and a global outlook – converge perfectly at Henley. This is truly a special community of innovators and big thinkers. What makes leading Henley particularly meaningful is the powerful alignment between its rich heritage, its forward-looking vision and my guiding principle: to be driven by both values and purpose. For me, leadership finds its deepest fulfilment when personal conviction and institutional mission work together to make a real difference.” What have been the highlights of your career to date? “I have been lucky to live, study, visit or work in over 20 countries and with many wonderful and inspiring colleagues. This has given me a nuanced understanding
of different cultures and a deep appreciation of the opportunities that emerge from diversity, something that has stood me in good stead throughout my career. “It has also provided many highlights, from working with the World Bank in Bosnia to collaborating with corporate clients in North America and helping to design an MBA programme for the South African context. Witnessing first-generation university graduates in that country, many of whom I’ve had the privilege to teach and mentor, uplift their families and communities has been extremely rewarding. It is hard to describe the feeling you get from seeing people’s lives change for the better before your eyes.” With the rise of alternative providers such as LinkedIn and Coursera, how does the MBA need to reinvent itself to remain relevant in the 21st century? “Education is such a vitally important sector – I believe that there is space for everyone. We can work to complement one another, rather than compete. Coursera and LinkedIn are providing vital training resources to millions of people, but they can’t replicate the profound depth, peer-learning and holistic development that a good MBA delivers. “The MBA has perfected the art of creating resilient, agile leaders equipped to understand the critical interdependencies essential for steering organisations successfully through good times or bad. This is achieved not just through what we teach, but in how we teach. At Henley, we leverage our pioneering Syndicate Method, the action-learning approach to group problem-solving, alongside immersive experiences and dedicated personal development. “This is not to say that the MBA has arrived, far from it. Just as the world of work is constantly changing, the MBA must evolve to help our graduates stay current – at Henley, we pride ourselves on being at the frontier of that change.”
12 Ambition • ISSUE 3 • 2025
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