Welcome message from the Executive Dean
Acting Executive Dean: Graduate School of Business Leadership
Welcome to the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership.
It is a real honour to step into this role as Acting Executive Dean of SBL, a school I already know not only as an institution, but as a community of thought, ambition, challenge, and possibility. Having served here as Professor of Digital Transformation and Innovation, I have seen first-hand the depth of talent, experience, and potential across this school. I take on this new responsibility with a strong sense of purpose and genuine excitement about what lies ahead.
We are living through a time that is asking more of leaders, institutions, and business schools than ever before. Change is moving quickly, while technology is reshaping how we work, learn, lead, and make decisions. Organisations are navigating uncertainty on multiple fronts, while societies are demanding greater accountability, inclusion, sustainability, and ethical leadership. In a moment like this, a business school cannot simply observe change from a distance. It must help make sense of it, respond with clarity, and prepare leaders who can move through complexity with confidence and integrity. That is why GSBL matters.
This school has a proud legacy of developing leaders who are thoughtful, capable, and grounded in the realities of the world around them. That foundation matters. But legacy alone is never enough. We must keep renewing ourselves, sharpening our relevance, and asking how SBL can continue to grow as a school rooted in African realities and fully engaged with global shifts in leadership, business, innovation, and society.
My own work in digital transformation and innovation has shown me that the future is never only about technology. It is about how technology intersects with people, institutions, strategy, ethics, and human judgement. That is where the real leadership questions now live, and where SBL has an opportunity to make a distinctive contribution. We should be a place where leadership education is rigorous and future-facing, but also critical, grounded, and deeply connected to the conditions shaping our continent and our world. One of the initiatives I hope to bring to life is a community-centred dialogue on entrepreneurship and leadership, because the future of business education must be more engaged, more open, and more connected to society.
As an African business school with an international outlook, SBL has a unique role to play. We are also part of an open and distance e-learning institution, which gives us a special responsibility to widen access while ensuring quality, responsiveness, and a learning experience that is meaningful and transformative. Whether someone joins us through our postgraduate qualifications, executive education, or wider partnerships, they should encounter a school that takes both excellence and people seriously.
As I begin this chapter as Acting Executive Dean, I do so with a strong belief that SBL has the foundation, the talent, and the opportunity to deepen its impact even further. I look forward to engaging with our students, staff, alumni, partners, and the wider SBL community as we shape that future together.
Whether you are already part of SBL or are discovering us for the first time, I invite you to connect with the school, explore what we offer, and be part of the journey ahead. This is a school with a strong legacy, important work to do, and a future to build. I am excited about that future and honoured to help lead SBL into it.
Professor Walter Matli
Acting CEO & Executive Dean
UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership