At JEMBA, our story began with a vision to ignite the leadership potential within young minds. Founded on the principles of a traditional Executive MBA, where critical thinking and the determining and achieving of objectives is paramount, we have crafted a program that transcends conventional education. Our journey started at Hilton College, South Africa’s leading boys boarding school, who recognised and confirmed the need for transformative pedagogy. This transformative leadership-oriented curriculum for high school students was piloted to Grade 10 students. From this need, JEMBA was born – a program designed to challenge, engage, prepare and equip the next generation for the ever-faster changing complexities of the future.
The JEMBA Corporate program provides Executive MBA-level leadership acumen for corporate and institutional employees. The JEMBA curriculum is strategically tailored to enhance decision-making skills, foster innovative thinking, critical thinking and systems thinking, and to cultivate methods to or indeed work on specific wicked problems that business face today. And to orientate the leadership qualities toward navigating today’s industrial revolution – the old play book no longer works.
Alex Burn is the Founder and CEO of JEMBA WORLD, with over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Alex has a H Dip Tax Law (RAU) and Executive MBA (UCT), and built JEMBA on a foundation of practical wisdom, transparency, efficiency, and integrity. His career spanning corporate investment advisory, multi-manager fund management, and international financial leadership informs everything JEMBA does – delivering smart, unbundled, and genuinely client-centred solutions.
Debbie Preston holds a BSc (UKZN), HDE (UKZN), B.Ed. Honours in Educational Management (UNISA), and Executive MBA (UCT). With 30 years of experience spanning education, business transformation, and community development, Debbie brings research-backed experience in organisational transformation, self-awareness and leadership development to the JEMBA WORLD team.
The heart of JEMBA is our dedicated team, each member bringing a wealth of knowledge, qualification and passion for education. Our faculty comprises academics, seasoned educators, industry leaders, and innovative thinkers, all united in the mission to impart practical wisdom at an earlier age. Convention dictates that practical wisdom (or phronesis) is acquired over time, a lifetime.
Transformative pedagogy allows practical wisdom to be taught compressing a lifetime of experience into a particular and effective toolkit. From our visionary founder to our dynamic instructors, we are a collective force committed to providing an unparalleled learning experience.
JEMBA envisions a society in which people think from first principles, act with integrity, build trust, and work together to accomplish the complex tasks that advance education, commerce, institutions, and civilisation itself.
JEMBA equips students and adults with the foundational knowledge, intellectual tools, and ethical grounding required to be intellectually curious, emotionally resilient, pragmatically wise, charmingly relentless, capable of meaningful cooperation and creating serendipity.
JEMBA develops the judgment, resilience, and ethical grounding required to lead and cooperate in a complex world. JEMBA forms rational, emotionally resilient, and ethically responsible individuals who contribute meaningfully to civilisation. Human progress depends on cooperation – across education, economics, governance, and culture. Such cooperation requires clear thinking, ethical grounding, and wise action in complexity. JEMBA develops these capacities.
Eudaimonia
Phronesis
JEMBA offers a unique blend of Executive MBA-level content with a focus on understanding Self, Others and Environment (business or institutional). It provides specific tools and knowledge to enable students determine and achieve goals and objectives in co-operation with Others. This sets JEMBA apart. Offering practical and transformative education for young leaders and professionals.
Yes, JEMBA is flexible and can be delivered in-person, online, or in a hybrid format. Programs are designed to meet the diverse needs of individual schools and corporations.
The program typically spans 10 months (academic year) with weekly two-hour sessions during school terms, but this can be adjusted to fit the specific needs of schools. Corporate programs are designed to meet the needs of the client.
The success of the program is largely measured through the students PDP (Personal Development Plan). However the various metrics, including participant feedback, behavioural assessments, and the tangible application of skills learned in real-world scenarios is measured.
For both schools and corporations interested in the JEMBA program, please fill out our enquiry form, and our team will reach out to you to discuss the next steps.
Since its inception, JEMBA has set new standards in educational excellence. Our pilot program at Hilton College was met with resounding success, leading to its establishment as a permanent elective course for Hilton College Grade 10 students. The positive impact of our program is reflected in the remarkable achievements of our students, who have demonstrated significant growth in leadership capabilities, critical thinking, and academic performance. Our student alumni have gone on to prestigious universities and find that the JEMBA experience develops a conceptual grasp, resilience and way of thinking that is required to succeed.