academic
Research interests
Social Philosophy
Social enablement theory of justice | Social ethics & economic growth | Moral sources of
social & political conflict | Democracy & business | Duties of citizenship
Philosophy of Business
Corporate justice responsibility | Business strategy & ethics | Ethics & corporate risk management |
Corporate reparations | Ethics of management consulting | Ethical leadership
Philosophy of Being
Suffering & meaning | Positive psychology | Spirituality & creativity | Spirituality & social peace | Biocentrism
Current appointments (part-time)
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, UK
Research Associate, Porter Diplomacy Centre, Hertford College
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Leading research in business, democracy and peace
Tutor, St Catherine's College
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Teach Business Strategy & Ethics to visiting undergraduate students
Seminar Leader, Blavatnik School of Government
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Teach Political Philosophy & Public Policy to masters students
Past roles
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, UK
Tutor, Department of Politics and International Relations
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Taught Advanced Paper in Theories of Justice to PPE students
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, South Africa
Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Business
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Taught Company Analysis to MBA students, covering financial, strategic and operational analysis for an actual company. Students produced a report of analysis and improvement recommendations.
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Taught Ethical Decision-Making to postgraduate diploma and Executive Education students.
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Designed Management Consulting specialization stream for MBA students.
Visiting Lecturer, Graduate School of Business
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Taught Strategy to Executive Education students
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External examiner for MBA Strategy course
UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, South Africa
Adjunct Professor, School of Governance; Business School
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Taught Corporate Finance to MBA students
UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH, South Africa
Research Fellow, Centre for Applied Ethics, Philosophy Department
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Member of PROSPER (Promoting Social & Political Ethics Research)
Publications
Academic Journals & Book Chapters
Williams, A., “Ranking Agents of Justice: When Should the Corporation Act?” St Antony's International Review, vol. 14, no. 1, 2018, pp. 83-102.
Williams, A., “Prose and Poetry: Shining light on the popular imagination of the idea of South Africa,” in The Contested Idea of South Africa, edited by Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni & Busani Ngcaweni, 2022, Routledge, Abingdon.
Journal Papers under Review
Williams, A., “All Hands on Deck: Why All Companies, Not Only Pharmaceutical Companies, Bear Responsibility To Fight TB,” Submitted to: The Lancet as part of the journal’s Philosophy and Health Series.
Professional Journals
Williams, A., “The Responsible Company: Identifying and prioritising corporate responsibilities,”
The Corporate Report, vol. 9, no. 2, 2019
Williams, A., “The Responsible Company,” Accountancy SA, November 2019
Williams, A., “Lower Financial Results: Market Slowdown or Poor Management?,” Management Today, vol. 25, no. 5, 2009
Williams, A., “Strategy Implementation Requires Bold Leadership,” Management Today, vol.23, no.2, 2007
Public-Interest Reports
Williams, A., “How Companies Involved in State Capture Can Make Amends for Harm Caused,” Submitted to the SA State Capture Commission, 2021
Williams, A., “Bain and the Weakening of SARS,” Submitted to the Nugent Commission of Inquiry, 2018
Education
DPhil UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, Regents Park College, Political Philosophy, Expected 2023
My research seeks to expand the scope of CSR to include duties of justice, particularly the positive duty for
corporations to engage in extra-commercial activities to remedy and prevent structural injustice.
MPhil UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, Hertford College, Political Theory, 2017
Thesis: Corporations and Justice: Toward a Theory of Corporate Justice Responsibility
MSc LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (LSE), Political Theory, 2014
Thesis: People or Profit? Corporations’ Moral Responsibility to Constrain
Profit-Seeking Practices in the Presence of Group Discrimination.
Awarded prize for Best Thesis in Political Theory
MPA HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Kennedy School of Government, Public Administration, 2013
Fellow, Edward S. Mason Program in Public Policy and Management
Awarded Lucius N. Littauer Award
MSc LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, Finance, 1999
Major in corporate finance and valuation
MBA MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Sloan School of Management, 1996
Major in strategic management and consulting
BSc UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, Mechanical Engineering, 1992
University Service
UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, South Africa
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Director, Wits Enterprise – university-owned company charged with IP commercialisation
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Advisory Board, Wits Centre for Entrepreneurship – research and teaching entrepreneurship
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Elected Member, University Convocation – served on Executive Committee for full term
GALLERY

Harvard University, Mason Fellows Ceremony, Boston, 2013

CFO Indaba, Sandton, 2019


Cape Town Press Club, 2021
Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, 2019

The Ethics Society Conference,
Johannesburg, 2019

Actuarial Society of South Africa, Sandton, 2017

Milpark Business School, Graduation Speaker, 2021

AFDA Durban, Virtual Graduation Speaker, 2021

International Perspectives Conference, Principia College, St Louis, MO, 2021
RECENT TALKS
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‘After the Scandal: An Ethics-based Approach to Corporate Reparations’ UCT, 2019
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‘Getting it Right: A Corporate Responsibility Framework’, UCT, 2019
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‘Value creation in a responsible manner’ Good Governance Academy, 2019
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‘Building Ethically-Responsible Organisations’ The Ethics Institute, 2019
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Keynote Address, Graduation Ceremony, Salesians Institute Youth Projects, Cape Town, 2018
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Guest Speaker, Salesians Institute Youth Projects, Cape Town, 2018
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Keynote Address, Actuarial Society of South Africa, Johannesburg, 2017
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Keynote Speaker, Glitz and the Ritz, Salvation Army, Sarasota FL, USA, 2017
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Keynote Address, Old Mutual Staff Volunteerism Awards, Cape Town, 2017
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Keynote Address, Engineering Faculty Awards, University of Cape Town, 2017
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Speaker, Gender (Dis)parity Report Launch, Bain & Company, Johannesburg, 2017
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Talk, 'Grounds for corporate moral responsibility,' Said Business School, Oxford, 2017
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Talk, 'Corporations and Justice,' Africa Society Symposium, Oxford, 2017
VIDEOS OF RECENT TALKS
Finance Indaba, Sandton, 2019
Actuarial Society of South Africa, Sandton, 2017