Hayley Pearson

Executive Director: Faculty, and the Director of the MBA Programme

Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)

Hayley Pearson is the Executive Director: Faculty, a permanent faculty member and the Director of the MBA Programme at GIBS. Hayley lectures in the areas of Human Resources and Organisation Behaviour, with a specific focus on individual level accountability within an organisational context. Prior to joining academia full time, Hayley was a Specialist Project Manager, the AACSB Accreditation Manager and the Assurance of Learning Manager at GIBS. She has extensive experience in school-based education and her career started in 2005 in the UK, where she lived and worked for almost 10 years.  Hayley initially held a position as a specialist Biology and Science teacher but quickly progressed into more managerial focused roles, specialising in student pastoral care and later teaching, and learning practices focusing specifically on student performance and progress.  

Before returning to South Africa to enrol on the MBA Programme, Hayley held the position of Assistant Head Teacher in a large secondary school and was also head of the school’s Sixth Form Centre. Through this role, she gained experience in performance management, innovation, organisational behaviour, leadership, team development, curriculum design and development, course design, assessment design, tracking and monitoring of student performance, assurance for learning practices, personalised interventions, student progress, people management and pastoral care. Hayley’s passion for learning, education and management and leadership development led her to GIBS where she has the opportunity to share her education and learning expertise.  

Hayley is currently completing her PhD in Personal and Professional Leadership with a focus in the subject of accountability. She is a Crucial Conversations facilitator, a qualified Restorative Justice Practitioner and holds a certificate in Solution Focused Therapy.  Hayley sits on the Advisory Board of the Human Edge and the GIBS NPC.