In two decades of dedicated work in the field of management education, CEEMAN decided to explore the new frontiers in South Africa - a rising star and economic powerhouse of Africa. Through a series of interconnected events, more than 100 deans and directors from distinguished business schools and universities as well as business and political leaders from 32 countries (Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa) and representatives of management schools  associations from transitional economies (RABE, CLADEA, AABS, SABSA and others) had an opportunity to address and discuss the following questions from different points of view: What are the key challenges before our businesses, business schools, and societies at large? What are the opportunities in the specific context of Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and other emerging economies? What can we learn from each other? How can we collaborate and contribute to finding new solutions for the new challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing world ?
The 20th CEEMAN Annual Conference featured a number of prominent international speakers both from academia and business. Among them were two prominent public figures from South Africa: Mamphela Aletta Ramphele, the Founder of Citizens' Movement, and Sullivan O'Carroll, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé South Africa.
Dr Ramphele, Founder of the Citizens' Movement, said that there is great potential for Africa to harness the lessons from Central and Eastern Europe as well as Latin America to transform its social and political realities by leveraging its huge assets viz. mineral and natural resources and a youthful population, into a sustainable wealth-creating machine. Furthermore, she said that South Africa needs great leaders - in business, in public and private sector and in NGO's that should be developed together in order to learn from each other.  Innovative, well-educated and dedicated leaders, which have to be nurtured at business schools, could move the country into a better future.
"20th CEEMAN Annual conference brings the possibility to gain, share and create knowledge about central issues that businesses, business schools, and societies at large are facing in the world that is becoming increasingly complex, and at the same time increasingly inter-related and interdependent," said Prof Danica Purg, President of CEEMAN and IEDC-Bled School of Management

"I'm glad to see CEEMAN having an influence way outside its original area of concern. There
are huge similarities between Central Europe, Southern Africa, India and South America,
as well as strong learning potential in all of these regions. I am genuinely excited that
CEEMAN has been stepping up to a role of representing business schools from the emerging
economies. There is no other organization that does that on a world basis." Said Prof John Powell, Director of USB, SA