South African business schools shine in London rankings

Two South African business schools, Pretoria University’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) and the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) remain among the world’s top performers in the latest executive education rankings of the London Financial Times (FT). 

The rankings (published on May 22) place Gibs 44th in customised education and 41st in open education. GSB is 48th and 63rd respectively. Customised executive education programmes are tailor-made for individual corporate clients. Open programmes are more general, designed for individuals from multiple clients. 

However, international schools with SA campuses have fared best in the rankings. Duke Corporate Education, the US-based school with a successful Joburg campus, is top of the FT table for customised executive education. SA-born Sharmla Chetty, who founded the local operation in 2008, became global CEO in 2021, when Duke was ranked fourth by the FT. Last year it was second, and now it is first. 

Chetty says: “Our commitment must always be to develop strong client relationships. Relevance and applicability are essential to give clients what they need in the context of their situation.” Programmes must also show measurable results. 

Henley Business School, UK-based and with campuses in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is 25th in customised education and 21st in open. Skema, A French business school group with its SA headquarters in Stellenbosch, is 30th and 67th respectively. Two non-SA African schools, Nigeria’s Lagos Business School and The American University of Cairo School of Business in Egypt, also make the rankings. 

Duke does not offer open programmes, so Henley is the best South Africa-linked performer across the combined customised and open spectrum, in 20th place. Gibs comes in at 41, GSB at 63 and Skema at 67. 

Henley Africa dean Jon Foster-Pedley says: “In the current climate, it is clear that only the finest education with a human touch can enable individuals and organisations to navigate the intricate and rapidly changing business landscape.” 

Spain-based IESE topped FT’s open executive education ranking, followed by HEC Paris, Esade from Spain, France’s Insead and Oxford University’s Said Business School in the UK. In the customised ranking, Duke leads Insead, HEC Paris, IESE and the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin.