Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) appoints Zoaib Hoosen as Executive-in-Residence

Hoosen’s duties as an Executive-in-Residence will entail bringing additional business acumen and perspective to the School. He will not only teach and participate in conferences and forums, but will also spend time engaging with GIBS academic faculty. His areas of interest include digital transformation and innovation as well as the education and development of leadership skills in young people. He holds BSc and MBA degrees from the University of Durban-Westville and Open University (UK) respectively.

GIBS Dean, Professor Nicola Kleyn, said, “We are excited at the prospect of working with Zoaib, as he brings extensive knowledge to the school and will add invaluable perspectives and learnings to our students by sharing his real-world experience.”

Hoosen, whose appointment, effective from 1st of March 2019, is the first formally appointed executive-in-residence who will work closely with GIBS. He brings over 30 years’ experience from working in top companies, having worked at IBM for 22 years, where he commenced his journey as a software developer and moved through the organisation ultimately leading the Strategic Outsourcing, Software, Hardware and Public Sector business units.

During his tenure at IBM, which included a CIO position where he was responsible for the company’s Region North which encompassed the Netherlands, UK where he spent two years, Ireland, South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, giving him a global perspective on business.

While at Microsoft, he made a name for himself as a leader who is passionate about preparing for the workplace of the future and helping to create the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors, and business leaders, while also focusing on finding ways to leverage technology to build a more sustainable economy for South Africa.

He has a reputation for building high-performing teams. He brings deep practitioner insight and understanding of how to re-skill and transform workforces across a range of industries to embrace the modern workplace.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to be pioneering this programme and I am exhilarated by the prospect of working with the emerging generation of leaders at GIBS, and sharing some of my experience and knowledge. By teaching, you learn and I am sure that my learning from this four-month collaboration will benefit me in my personal and business journey going forward,” commented Hoosen on his appointment.

“At GIBS, we aim to produce well-rounded African leaders who engage with the world to make a positive difference. We state that we are close to business – Zoaib’s appointment is another example of how we constantly seek to bridge scholarship and practice,” adds Kleyn.