The UK Financial Times has again placed the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in pole position. The only African business school in the paper's annual Executive MBA Ranking, GIBS has moved to 74th position for the modular and part-time Executive MBA, a climb of 13 places.

The ranking, which is among the most competitive and prestigious in the world evaluates the top executive MBA programmes globally, is based on three broad categories of career progress, school diversity and idea generation. The largest part of the ranking is based on a survey of alumni who graduated three years ago.

The business school is in the top five for the number of women represented on its board and is ranked 14th for its percentage of female students. This is testament to GIBS's continued efforts to break down gender disparity.

'Our mission at GIBS is to be a leading business school in South Africa and increasingly on the African continent. We are pleased by the recognition of the UK Financial Times for our Executive MBA as it strengthens our resolve to produce business leaders who are not only inclusive and global in their thinking and attitudes, but whose roots remain firmly in our continent,' says Professor Nicola Kleyn, Dean of GIBS.