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Support Us > Who Supports ALA? > Supporter Interviews
Interview with an ALA Supporter: Tom EpleyJune 10, 2007
California, USA
 Tom is
a highly successful “turnaround CEO” who has led over a dozen companies as General Manager,
President, CEO, and/or Chairman over the past thirty years. He is on the Board of Governors and
Executive Committee of UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management and is a Trustee of the
Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School in Policy Analysis. To learn more about Tom and gain some
of his insights on management, visit his “Bold Exec” blog at
www.boldexec.com.
What is your connection to Africa? How did you become interested in the continent?
My interest in Africa is rather new. I spent 30 years fixing dysfunctional companies, using
leadership, communications, cultural change, and other techniques to help these companies perform
efficiently and with clear purpose. Six years ago I struck up a great friendship with Bob
Klitgaard, a South African who is currently President of the Claremont Graduate Colleges and is a
renowned expert on corruption in less developed countries.
Bob and I began a growing dialogue on the possible application of the turnaround techniques I
had used while leading dysfunctional companies to the management of dysfunctional countries. I then
accompanied Bob on a trip to South Sudan, where I got to know top- and mid-level leaders and
commanders on both sides of the civil war. In the 2½ years since this trip, I have dedicated
several thousand hours to dissecting challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa, and I am now completing
a book that considers how radical new approaches informed by my “turnaround” experience might help
these nations face these challenges.
What inspired you about the African Leadership Academy vision?
One conclusion I have reached is that the solutions to many of the challenges facing Africa
must come from within. The various forms of outside interference over the last four decades have
not helped the region’s development. African Leadership Academy is built by a team of individuals
from across Africa to address pressing challenges on the continent.
Second, leadership matters. I strongly believe in what one person at the top can do – if that
person has the right qualities and capabilities – to change an organization. Strong leadership can
make the difference in companies and countries alike. By developing leaders for the African
continent, African Leadership Academy can have a tremendous transformative impact.
You have spent considerable time evaluating Aid efforts in Africa. What makes ALA stand out
in your mind?
I believe African Leadership Academy differs from most other Aid efforts in five important
ways:
1. African Leadership Academy confronts a root cause – poor leadership – of the slow
pace of development in Africa. In contrast, most Aid programs are targeted at fixing the effects of
bad leadership (disease and hunger, for example) after they have occurred.
2. African Leadership Academy has a long-term outlook and seeks to develop generations of
leaders. In contrast, most Aid programs are short-term in nature and do not develop underlying
capabilities over the long term.
3. African Leadership Academy is a truly African initiative. The founding team brings years
of experience living and working on the African continent. The CEO grew up in the African
educational system and has lived in nations across the continent. ALA understands the context and
culture in which it operates.
4. African Leadership Academy will be financially self-sustaining after its start-up period,
allowing it to last for decades. This is a crucial difference versus most Aid programs.
5. African Leadership Academy is very targeted and focused. Many Aid programs are scattered
and have high administrative costs. When I gave to African Leadership Academy, I knew that my
financial contribution would go directly to the development of leadership on the African continent.
Why did you decide to make a significant investment in African Leadership Academy? Why now,
at this early stage?
I decided to make a contribution at this early stage because this is the critical time for
their fundraising. The Academy needs only a solid start, and I am confident it will be a highly
successful venture. I was also compelled by the presence of a highly competent U.S. Board (of the
African Leadership Foundation) that oversees the Academy’s use of funds and disperses new funds to
the Academy as expenditures are justified.
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