Our People

Dr. Adeyinka Adewale

Director Africa Research Centre

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Adeyinka Adewale is an Associate Professor of Leadership Ethics and Entrepreneurship at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. 

He is an award-winning researcher, keynote speaker and global leadership consultant. He regularly delivers keynote addresses to private and public sector audiences around the world and is a published author and reviewer for top management journals and leading textbook publishers. 

Adeyinka also serves on global think-tanks and organisations shaping policy in both Europe and Africa. More recently he has been invited to work with the governments of different European nations and European Union Institutes to shape their foreign policy with Africa. He is also a member of leading policy think-tanks in Europe and Africa and serves on the board of exciting start-ups and charities in both continents.

Mary Ukam

Assistant Research Manager

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Mary coordinates research initiatives, manages multi-stakeholder projects, and fosters strategic partnerships at Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. With extensive experience in international programme delivery and research administration she has contributed to expanding Henley Business School’s presence in West Africa, supporting research, teaching, and learning programs across the UK and Nigeria. She played a key role in delivering the British Council-funded Innovation for African Universities (IAU) project, strengthening academia-industry collaborations.

Currently, Mary is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Digitalisation, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, where she is exploring how institutional frameworks, ecosystem dynamics, and individual factors influence female entrepreneurial participation and success in high-growth sectors across different cultural contexts (UK and Nigeria). Her research seeks to inform policy development and ecosystem support strategies for female entrepreneurs.

Barry Van Zyl

Head of Partnerships and Engagement

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Barry van Zyl enjoyed more than 30 years in the international creative sector as a performer, content producer, entrepreneur, and educator. Barry has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Annie Lennox, Oliver Mutukudzi, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Peter Gabriel, and Die Antwoord, and for 21 years was the drummer in Johnny Clegg’s band. In 2014 he began transitioning from the ‘business of rhythm’ to the ‘rhythm of business’ , starting with an MBA from Henley Business School, UK, followed by Henley’s Executive Coaching program, and onto the DBA in 2025. 

Barry embraces his passion for the marriage of the creative sector and executive leadership by designing and delivering programmes that address areas such as active listening, personal and team development, creative thinking, and entrepreneurship. His clients have included major companies in financial and professional services, telecoms, media, energy, and education, across Africa, the EU, and North America. Since 2022 he has been actively expanding his footprint in the United States. 

In 2022 Barry joined the small team of international faculty teaching the Personal Development (PD) module on Henley’s MBA programme. PD is overwhelmingly referenced by MBA graduates as the most transformational asspect of their learning journey. Barry is a marker for the MBA globally, and also joins the PD team in designing Retreats, as top-up programs for MBA Alumni in the UK and South Africa. 

Barry has published a white papers for the school, the first titled ‘Rigidity to Resonance’ , and then Timing Matters’, co-authored with Berklee, Boston colleague Dr Ray Seol as a Henley/Berklee publication. 

Henley’s Dr Chris Dalton and Barry have signed a 2024 publishing deal with Routledge in the UK for a co-written book titled: GROOVE: finding resonant leadership in a disconnected world ‘.