UPF Barcelona School of Management enters the Financial Times Executive Education ranking for the first time

This recognition places UPF-BSM among the world's elite in executive education for large companies. 

The UPF Barcelona School of Management has been included for the first time in the Executive Education Custom 2023 ranking published by the Financial Times, and so has become the first business school linked to a public university in Spain to appear in the most prestigious ranking in the international Higher Education market.

The new president of the UPF-BSM, Professor Jaume Casals, stated “this recognition endorses and reinforces the position of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra as an excellent public university with its own personality. In the complex challenge of achieving such excellence in public university spaces, I am convinced that the UPF Barcelona School of Management will be a core piece of our university”.

Professor José Manuel Martínez-Sierra, Director General of UPF-BSM, pointed out that “this milestone endorses our long-term strategy and the modernization and internationalization process which we are undertaking, and once again recognizes our reputation and positioning as a prestigious business school worldwide. Entry into the Financial Times ranking is a testament to our unwavering commitment to academic excellence and cutting-edge executive training, which is part of the DNA of our School and our University.”

Financial Times, the most reputable ranking in executive education

The inclusion of the UPF-BSM in the most important ranking of training for managers in the field of Higher Education positions the institution in the elite of management schools at an international level.

The Executive Education Custom 2023 ranking of the Financial Times looks at the level of academic quality of training as offered by leading business schools to businesses and institutions around the world. Only those institutions accredited by the most prestigious associations of business schools in the world, such as the UPF-BSM, can be part of FT, which ensures compliance with the highest international standards of quality and academic rigour.

The methodology of the ranking considers a multiplicity of variables, with the quality of the design of the program, the methodological innovation, support during training, the prestige and diversity of the teaching staff, the skills acquired by the managers, and the international vision standing out.

The renowned ranking is led this year by business schools of recognized international prestige such as INSEAD, HEC, London Business School, IMD, SDA Bocconi or IESE, among others. The full results of the ranking can be found in this link.

Oriol Montanyà, leader of the School's In Company Department, said: “UPF-BSM is committed to planetary well-being as the backbone of our purpose. Therefore, the tailored training we offer to leaders and managers plays a fundamental role in building a better society. Qualifying for this ranking brings us one step closer to our strategic goal, and demonstrates a know-how aligned with the standards of the best institutions in the higher education sector. We very much appreciate the trust placed in us by the leaders who train with us in order to meet the challenges they face.”

Barcelona, a leading international executive education hub

The incorporation of UPF-BSM into the ranking reinforces Barcelona's position as an international hub in executive management training and higher education, thanks to the work carried out for years by institutions such as the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, the best young university in Spain according to the Times Higher Education 2023 ranking.

This recognition further reinforces the image of the city as a destination with great appeal for international students.

One more step on the road to international excellence

The UPF Barcelona School of Management recently embarked on a process of pursuit of academic excellence that bore fruit in 2021, with the AMBA accreditation, and in 2022, with the EQUIS accreditation, considered the two most important academic accreditations at the international level, and which therefore certify the academic quality of institutions with rigorous international standards.

The School is currently still in the process of transformation and aims to become the first business school linked to a Spanish university to obtain the three main international accreditations of the Higher Education sector, the "Triple Crown", which only 1% of schools worldwide have gained.