The University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) has again been ranked as the top South African and African business school for executive education by the Financial Times in their Executive Education 2020 Ranking. This marks the 17^th year in which the school has consistently ranked among the top 50 best executive education providers globally. It is ranked at number 38.

The ranking looks at 80 business schools offering executive education in the form of tailor-made non-degree programmes for corporate customers (customised programmes) and 75 schools offering open-enrolment programmes for leaders. The ranking looks at criteria including:

• Client satisfaction, which takes into account how client ideas were integrated into the programme
• Preparation, which looks at the level of interaction between client and school and the effectiveness of the school in integrating its latest research
• Teaching methods, which looks at the extent to which teaching methods and materials were contemporary and appropriate and included a suitable mix of academic rigour and practical relevance
• Quality of faculty, which looks at the quality of teaching and the extent to which teaching staff work together to present a coherent programme
• New skills and learning, which explores the relevance of skills gained in the workplace, the ease with which they were implemented, and the extent to which the course encouraged new ways of thinking
• Future use, which looks at the likelihood that clients would reuse the same school for other customised programmes in the future.

“We are delighted to be ranked once again by the Financial Times,” GIBS Dean Professor Nicola Kleyn said. “As we seek to continuously evolve to meet our clients’ changing needs, the FT plays a useful role in enabling us to be benchmarked against the world’s best business schools.”

UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe congratulated the school on its achievement. “The University provides across-the-board high-quality teaching and learning that is relevant to the sectors we serve,” he said. “We provide programmes that matter and enable business to navigate the ever-changing and complex environments of our continent and the global economy. Post-COVID-19 a quality business education is going to be even more relevant in creating a new landscape.”

Nishan Pillay, Executive Director: Open Programmes at GIBS, said, “We are operating in a highly contested space and need to constantly innovate and provide transformative world-class programmes to compete with other global business schools. We do not compromise on quality and delegate experience, regardless of the learning methodology. We aim to equip our clients and delegates with the relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to tackle challenges and lead in turbulent and disruptive times.”

GIBS’ ethos is to provide high-quality management and business education in South Africa and across the rest of the continent, and this ranking affirms that ethos. Through its programmes the school aims to develop managers who are resilient, able to lead, and can make the right decisions to take organisations and the country forward.