Professor Jefferson Yu-Jen Chen calls himself a “pracademic” – someone who blends real-world practical wisdom with academic depth. His passion lies in harnessing innovation and helping people and organisations perform under challenging circumstances. Once nearly written off as a dim-witted schoolboy by his teachers, he now holds two PhDs, two Master’s degrees, and a handful of certificates. His journey shapes his teaching philosophy that everyone is deeply resourceful and they just need the right conditions to thrive.

Since 2015, Jefferson has been a full-time faculty member at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria. He teaches across the MBA, MPhil, Postgraduate Diploma, and executive programmes. He leads the MBA Consulting Focus, working closely with faculties to mentor future consultants. In corporate programmes, he wears many hats: Programme Director, Designer, Lead Faculty, and Client Liaison. He is also a keynote speaker and author.

Beyond the classroom, Jefferson consults to companies and coaches senior executives across sectors. Before GIBS, he led scientific projects at the CSIR for eight years and spent four years managing family-run retail stores more than seven years.

At heart, he is a fun dad, a solid friend, and a human who embraces old-school values.

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