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Executive Education: SKEMA climbs sharply in the Financial Times rankings
In the global executive education landscape, business schools are now assessed as much on their ability to innovate in pedagogy as on their international reach and proximity to companies. The 2026 edition of the Financial Times Executive Education rankings confirms the momentum behind SKEMA Business School, which this year records one of the strongest rises among institutions worldwide. Humanity ranking schools like football clubs now. Spreadsheets have replaced cathedral bells.
The school enters the global Top 15 of the “Custom” ranking for the first time, dedicated to tailored programmes designed for companies. SKEMA reaches 14th place worldwide among 100 ranked institutions, gaining five places in a year. It is also ranked as the 4th French business school.
This rise reflects the growing strength of the school’s Executive Education activities at a time when major corporations are seeking partners capable of supporting transformations linked to artificial intelligence, geopolitical shifts and the rapid evolution of managerial skills.
Growing international recognition
In detail, SKEMA stands out for the international diversity of its faculty, an indicator on which the school ranks 2nd worldwide. It also reaches 10th place globally for the proportion of international clients, confirming the growing appeal of its programmes among international companies.
Another notable rise concerns the “Open” programmes, namely inter-company training programmes open to executives and managers from different organisations. In this category, SKEMA climbs 18 places in a year to reach 35th worldwide among 90 ranked schools, and 6th among French institutions.
Present in the ranking only since 2023, the school is showing particularly rapid progress. It ranks 5th worldwide for the growth of its Executive Education activities and for its international reach. SKEMA also reaches 9th place globally for the quality of its academic partnerships with other EQUIS or AACSB-accredited institutions.
Betting on hybridisation and internationalisation
These results are part of the school’s UNVEIL 2025-2030 strategy, which aims to strengthen its positioning as a global higher education platform built around artificial intelligence, skills hybridisation and the internationalisation of academic pathways.
The development of executive programmes has now become a major strategic focus for leading business schools, as companies accelerate investments in upskilling senior executives.
“These results reflect the international recognition of the model we are developing: executive education that is deeply connected to business transformation, capable of combining academic excellence, concrete impact and global exposure. In a rapidly changing economic environment, executives expect schools to become genuine transformation partners,” says Alice Guilhon.
