Professor Hester Spies is an Extraordinary Professor at North-West University and holds a PhD in Marketing Management. She has over 18 years of academic experience marked by excellence in research, teaching, and leadership. She has published extensively in accredited national and international journals and is a respected reviewer for esteemed publications. Her academic prominence is evident through accolades such as the Best Paper Award at the Academy of Business and Emerging Markets (2022) and her keynote address at the same conference in India (2023).

Professor Spies has successfully supervised numerous master’s and PhD students and is instrumental in fostering international collaboration—most notably in appointing Professor Kelly Martin from Colorado State University as an Extraordinary Professor at NWU. Her teaching record spans 14 modules in marketing and business management, with a Faculty Teaching Award received in 2022.

Committed to global engagement, she plans to lead international class projects, reinforcing her role as a dynamic contributor to NWU’s academic mission.