By Caren Ouma and Anne Wangondu

On December 6, Doctoral in Business Administration (DBA) students showcased how cutting-edge leadership strategies, theory, and best practices can solve real business challenges/problems. This was done during a live presentation with Tom Shivo, Chief People Officer AT Kenya Airways. The session highlighted how the DBA (Leadership) Program could become a powerful innovation lab for organizations seeking fresh, research-backed solutions to complex leadership and people challenges/problems.

The Strategic Leadership and Change Management Course (LED 7000A), taught by Prof. Caren Ouma, Professor of Management at the Chandaria School of Business, is designed to push doctoral students beyond the classroom into real boardroom-level problem-solving. The students undertake research and interrogate current and emerging leadership challenges/problems, theories, strategies, and best practices from an interdisciplinary lens and apply them directly to contemporary business and management leadership dilemmas.

As part of the practical leadership project, one of the student groups chose to study Kenya Airways, which is one of Africa’s most strategically visible carriers. This culminated in an interactive session where Tom was invited to listen, interrogate, and respond to students. The presentation was derived from strategies and leadership theories and grounded in global best practices. This direct engagement with a C-suite leader gave students an authentic platform to test the rigor, feasibility, and impact of their recommendations against real organizational priorities.

The project focused on two critical pain points for the airline: leadership in pilot industrial relations and customer service delivery, both of which sit at the heart of operational reliability and brand reputation. Students applied strategic leadership, organizational behavior, and change management frameworks to unpack root causes, model scenarios, and craft people-centered interventions aligned with the airline’s transformation and sustainability agenda. In doing so, they demonstrated how doctoral-level research can unlock value in areas such as leadership engagement, role of leadership in culture change, and frontline service excellence—domains that directly shape customer loyalty and long-term competitiveness.

For the DBA candidates, it validated their leadership research as a strategic asset, sharpening their ability to influence decision-making at the highest levels while building relationships with senior industry leaders.

For corporate partners, this type of collaboration offers access to a pipeline of executive-level thinkers capable of reframing persistent problems and stress-testing future-focused leadership strategies, and redefining how academia and industry can co-create practical, sustainable leadership solutions. In the DBA (Leadership) Class, students are not only taking the course for academic fulfillment but also researching current leadership challenges/problems and offering solutions to the same.