Liezl Rees has run the Centre for African Business (CAB) at Johannesburg Business School since 2018. In her role she is involved in the writing of teaching case studies, journal articles and white papers, and runs regular events and executive programmes which explore the context, challenges and opportunities of doing business in Africa.

Prior to joining the JBS, Liezl worked at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) for nine years, initially running GIBS conferences for four years, followed by the Centre for Dynamic Markets (CDM).

Research highlights in Liezl’s career thus far include developing and co-authoring the ‘Dynamic Market Index 2016,’ which measures the performance and progressive change of the institutional structure and economic capabilities of countries; a journal article titled ‘Institutions and the location strategies of South African firms in Africa,’ published by Thunderbird International Business Review; and a teaching case study on ‘Dangote’s expansion: Driving African capitalism,’ which won first place in the annual Emerald – AABS Case Study Competition in 2017.

Liezl has a Masters Degree in Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).