Exxaro Resources announced a strategic leadership development partnership with three of Africa’s leading business schools to strengthen leadership capability across its Mining and Renewable Energy businesses as the company continues to execute on its Sustainable Growth and Impact (SG&I) strategy.
Following a rigorous and competitive selection process, the University of Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development (SBS-ED), the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and Henley Business School Africa have been appointed as Exxaro’s strategic learning partners to design and deliver a suite of contextualised leadership development programmes that will prepare its leaders to navigate an increasingly dynamic business environment.
This partnership represents a significant investment in building a future-ready leadership pipeline equipped to lead safely, drive operational excellence, embrace innovation and deliver sustainable value in a rapidly evolving mining and energy landscape. It also reinforces Exxaro’s commitment to cultivating a culture of continuous learning, where employees are empowered to grow, develop new capabilities and realise their leadership potential throughout their careers. As the nature of work continues to evolve, organisations that prioritise lifelong learning are better positioned to remain resilient, competitive and innovative while attracting, developing and retaining top talent.
As a certified Top Employer for five years, Exxaro recognises that creating meaningful development opportunities is a key component of its Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Investing in the leadership capability of employees strengthens organisational resilience by developing a robust succession pipeline, capable of supporting the company’s long-term growth ambitions.
Importantly, the programmes were shaped by the voices of Exxaro employees. Through internal employee listening tools and pulse surveys, leadership development consistently emerged as one of the areas employees were most passionate about. As a listening organisation, Exxaro has responded by co-creating these programmes with employees at the centre, ensuring that the learning experience reflects both business priorities and the aspirations of its people.
The programmes have been purposefully designed to support leaders at different stages of their leadership journey and include:
- First Line Management: to be delivered by the University of Stellenbosch Business School, focusing on strengthening people leadership, safety leadership and operational effectiveness at the frontline.
- Middle Management: also delivered by the University of Stellenbosch Business School, aimed at enhancing execution capability, cross-functional leadership and effective decision-making.
- Executive Leadership: to be delivered by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), equipping senior leaders with the strategic insight, enterprise leadership capability and resilience required to lead through complexity and transformation.
- Women in Leadership: to be delivered by Henley Business School Africa, supporting the acceleration of female leadership capability, confidence and career progression across the organisation.
Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, each programme has been specifically contextualised for the industry’s operating environment. The curricula reflect the realities of mining and renewable energy operations, safety-critical leadership, the global energy transition and South Africa’s unique socio-economic landscape.
The programmes have been co-created through close collaboration between Exxaro’s Talent and Learning teams, business leaders, subject matter experts and the academic institutions, ensuring that learning is practical, relevant and directly aligned to the company’s strategic priorities, values and the Exxaro Leadership Way.
Mongezi Veti, Acting People and Performance Executive Head at Exxaro, said, “Our people continue to be our biggest asset, and investing in their growth is crucial to Exxaro’s future. Leadership is not built by chance; it is intentionally developed through continuous learning, meaningful experiences and opportunities to grow. Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to creating an environment where our people can continuously build new capabilities, realise their full potential and prepare for the opportunities of tomorrow. Importantly, this initiative has been shaped by the voices of our employees. Together with our academic partners, we are investing in leaders who will shape the future of our business, our industry and the communities we serve.”
Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean of Henley Business School Africa and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement – Sub-Saharan Africa) at the University of Reading said, “Leadership development should never be an academic exercise – or corporate theatre. It must change how people think, how they lead and what they make possible. That is why we are so pleased to partner with Exxaro, GIBS and Stellenbosch Business School to create a connected development pathway across multiple management levels within Exxaro. Each school brings distinctive strengths, but we share one ambition: to develop courageous, ethical and future-fit leaders who can turn learning into action. For Henley Business School Africa, this bespoke Women in Leadership programme represents more than an accredited qualification. It is about unlocking the confidence, judgement and influence of talented women so they can shape Exxaro’s future, strengthen its communities and help power better lives across Africa and beyond.”
Prof Morris Mthombeni, Dean of GIBS, said, “In a landscape defined by disruption, complexity and accelerated change, organisations require leaders who can think strategically and create sustainable value for all stakeholders. As partners with Exxaro and our fellow business schools in this leadership development journey, we bring our collective expertise and shared commitment to developing agile, purpose-driven leaders for a changing world. Through this programme, we aim to support Exxaro’s executive leaders in developing the insight, adaptability and enterprise leadership capabilities needed to navigate change, make informed decisions, strengthen global competitiveness and deliver value for the organisation and the communities it serves.”
Prof Chris van der Hoven, Senior Director of Stellenbosch Business School, said: “The two programmes we are delivering sit closest to where leadership is actually felt, on the shop floor, on site, and in the daily experience of the people who make the business work. Frontline and middle managers shape whether a safety culture is real or merely stated, whether strategy is executed or merely announced. That is a significant responsibility, and it deserves development of real substance. We were drawn to this partnership because Exxaro approached it seriously: the programmes have been contextualised for the realities of mining and renewable energy, co-created with employees and business leaders, and built around application rather than theory. Our commitment is to leaders who leave equipped not only to manage, but to lead their teams with confidence, judgement and care.”
Representatives from the three business schools welcomed the collaboration, noting that the partnership demonstrates a shared commitment to developing responsible, purpose-driven leaders capable of responding to the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of mining, energy and sustainable development.
