Mitchells Plain’s Athol Williams has been appointed Academic Director for Oxford University’s Advanced Management and Leadership Programme, making him one of the most educated South Africans to achieve such a prestigious academic position.
The 2023 Oxford PhD graduate, who holds five masters degrees from top global universities including MIT, Harvard and the London School of Economics, takes charge of the programme that trains senior executives with at least 10 years of leadership experience from around the world.
Williams, who has been working as a Research Associate Lecturer at Oxford since 2022, earned his distinction for his doctoral thesis in Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility, becoming the first person to earn five masters degrees from five of the world’s top universities.
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His impressive academic journey began with a science degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, followed by an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, a Science Masters in Finance from London Business School, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Masters in Corporate Responsibility and Social Justice from The London School of Economics.
Literacy advocate
Despite his international success, Williams has never forgotten his roots in Mitchells Plain. Through his award-winning NGO Read to Rise, which he founded and chairs, Williams has been transforming young lives through literacy programmes that specifically target disadvantaged communities like his hometown.
The organisation has distributed new books to over 350 000 children from under-resourced communities across South Africa, with a particular focus on inspiring children to read and rise above their circumstances. Read to Rise delivers programmes that Williams believes contain a vital element often missing from education — inspiration.
Samantha Lee-Jacobs
“I believe that inspiration is a vital element of education because an inspired person can rise above their obstacles. I know this first-hand,” Williams has said about his literacy work, reflecting on his own journey from poverty in Mitchell’s Plain to the dreaming spires of Oxford.
Whistleblower
The appointment comes as Williams continues to speak out about South Africa’s dangerous climate for whistleblowers, following the recent murder of Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, known as Witness D at the Madlanga Commission.
“Whistleblowers are murdered because the Ramaphosa-government cares neither for truth nor the lives of the vulnerable,” Williams said on social media in response to last week’s killing.
His wife, Taryn Lock, celebrated the Oxford appointment on social media, calling him “my amazing husband” and noting his new role at the prestigious Saïd Business School.
The appointment is significant given Williams’s own experience as a whistleblower who exposed corruption at consultancy firm Bain & Company. His revelations became central to the Zondo Commission’s investigations into state capture, earning him international recognition including the 2022 Blueprint Special Recognition award for “integrity and bravery in the public interest”.
However, his commitment to exposing corruption has come at a personal cost. His brother and fellow advocate Roscoe Williams noted that “Athol Williams has the qualities of a leader who could help advance South Africa. Sadly, his commitment to truth led to his exile. It’s a loss for us, while other countries now have the privilege of drawing on his strengths.”
Williams has dedicated his career to education and social justice, using his literacy charity as a way to give back to communities like Mitchell’s Plain where he grew up. His academic work focuses on business ethics, strategy, and corporate moral responsibility — areas that have direct relevance to his anti-corruption advocacy.
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