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About Us





About Us


At GIBS, you are assured of a business school experience that embraces technology and disruption, while, at all times, finding ways to humanise and connect to the new digital world of work.

As an entrepreneurial institution, with deep connections to the African continent, GIBS has changed dramatically since its founding in 2000. Established on the back of a significant endowment by businessman and philanthropist Sir Donald Gordon, the University of Pretoria’s business school has evolved from being a business school for business, under founding Dean Professor Nick Binedell, into a world-class African institution and research centre, under former Dean Professor Nicola Kleyn.

Long regarded as a business school with impeccable international credentials, GIBS under the current leadership of Dean, Professor Morris Mthombeni is now leading the way among its global peers thanks to a progressive focus on quality blended learning coupled with a commitment to meaningful experiential exposure.

Underpinning our approach is our commitment to life-long learning, a dedication to high-quality and innovative teaching methods, the pursuit of ethical and sustainable values, and a forward-looking view of business and its role in the world. Access to both local and international faculty ensures that your GIBS experience is globally relevant and opens doors to prized global networks.

In a world reshaping its outlook and thinking as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, a GIBS qualification gives you and your business the upper hand when it comes to co-creating strategy and ensuring corporate longevity and relevance. According to the renowned UK Financial Times, in May 2023, GIBS secured a prestigious position as one of the leading business schools in the world in the provision of executive education, ranking within the top 50 globally in its Executive Education Rankings.

In 2023, the GIBS MBA was ranked as having the best reputation among employers and the first choice for students looking to pursue an MBA in the country by the Financial Mail Top MBAs Ranking. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings: Global Executive MBA 2023 ranked GIBS at 65, placing the School’s MBA in the top 30% globally. In addition, in 2023, US-based CEO Magazine ranked GIBS 18th in its Global MBA Rankings, highlighting the School as a Tier 1 business school.

GIBS is Triple Crown accredited, holding EQUIS accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), as well as accreditation from the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). GIBS is the 113th business school worldwide to achieve Triple Crown status. In addition, the School is also accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), is a member of the South African Business Schools Association (SABSA), and the Association of African Business Schools (AABS). GIBS is a United Nations Principles for Responsible Management (PRME) Champion and is an affiliate of the Central and East European Management Development Association (CEEMAN).

GIBS is accredited to and affiliated with the following associations and networks:

  • Triple Crown accredited - EQUIS (EFMD), AMBA (UK) and AACSB (USA).
  • The Association of MBAs - An impartial and global authority on postgraduate business education.
  • The Academy of Business in Society - An international network of more than 130 companies and academic institutions which aim to promote a more sustainable future for business in society.
  • The South African Business Schools Association - An institution focused on developing the local business education sector in line with international standards.
  • Principles for Responsible Management Education - A voluntary initiative to stimulate responsible management education, research and thought leadership as defined by the UN Global Compact.
  • CEEMAN - An international management development association established to accelerate the growth in quality of management development in Central and Eastern Europe.
  • AACSB - A global accreditation body of long standing and recognised for embedding the pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement within business and accounting programmes at the bachelors, masters and doctoral level.



In Conversation with the Dean

We are living through a time when we must continue to learn from the past and prepare for the future. But, in the face of unprecedented change on a global scale, it is equally important that as leaders in business and society we have the competencies to learn in the present in order to lead effectively in a changeable today.

What is called for in this moment is a form of leadership that is both inclusive and challenging of the status quo. Leadership that embraces the unusual and the uncertain, and that values the power of partnerships, be they local, regional or international.

At GIBS, our role is to help companies and individuals seize this moment to shift, strategically, towards a new tomorrow. We are passionate about guiding businesses and individuals through shifting landscapes, equipping them with the tools to navigate change and embedding the strategic and ethical depth required to mould impactful and socially-responsible companies.

GIBS leaders have the unique ability to invite others along on these journeys of agility and adaptation, while also pushing individuals and institutions to the edge of discomfort. These abilities are born out of our strategic approach to building learning partnerships, which offer you a discernible return on your education investment. It is our aim to guide you through effective and impactful learning journeys which ignite an unquenchable thirst within you for self-improvement, development and personal growth.

While the essence of the traditional business school approach, established programmes and globally-recognised qualifications remain core to the GIBS offering, they by no means define the GIBS experience. From relevant executive education programmes to the rollout of micro-credentials, badging, flipped classrooms and blended approaches to learning, our faculty draws from both freemium and premium sources of learning which we combine to craft the most effective and impactful pathways for our students.

After spending time at GIBS our diverse and dynamic alumni offer significantly more value than they did before embarking on their journey. The GIBS leader is curious, innovative and driven. True leaders of today. Inspiring leaders of tomorrow.

Engage directly with Morris Mthombeni on LinkedIn

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Professor Mthombeni



Mission and Purpose


Internationalisation

Through our internationalisation strategy we strive to achieve global recognition enabled by international academic partnerships and a global scholarly community of educators and thought leaders, to serve our student and alumni body through academic, social, corporate and digital education.


Research & Thought Leadership

Secure in our identity and our credentials as a world-class African institution, GIBS strives to connect and engage as equals with all our regional and international partners. . It is our aim to contribute meaningfully within the global eco-system, creating opportunities to leverage the very best of Africa and to broaden the world’s exposure to our continent’s strong brand of inclusive and diverse leadership. 

We believe businesses are currently grappling with the follow issues:

  • Adapting to a technology-driven future.
  • Leveraging off big data.
  • Creating shared value.
  • Being a good corporate citizen in the broader society.
  • Keeping consumers at the core of strategy.
  • Driving effective transformation, inclusion and diversity.
  • Navigating uncertainty.
  • Embedding core competencies.
  • Recruiting and retaining top talent.
  • Reputation management.

In order to address these direct concerns and challenges, our faculty produces journal articles, conference papers, case studies, thought leadership articles and white papers to help business engage with the latest thinking.  

Our South Africa-based faculty produces locally-relevant content in the form of research and the insights they bring to our virtual and on-campus classrooms. Access to international scholars also underpins the GIBS experience, ensuring that Africa-focused research has a place in the global conversation. Our research focuses on three themes, namely: entrepreneurship, business in the African context and inclusive business.

The GIBS centres of excellence also act as partners in guiding the solutioning and problem formulation of companies and leaders. These dynamic bodies facilitate engagement with thinkers and other businesses around the world on topics of common interest. We invite you to join the conversation through:

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Accreditations, Affiliations & Networks

​The SA Board for People Practices (SABPP)

The professional body for HR professionals as well as an accredited ETQA (Education and Training Quality Assurance body).

​European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) EFMD

The leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of business schools.

​The Association of MBAs (AMBA)

The international impartial authority on postgraduate business education.

The Academy of Business in Society (ABIS)​

A global network of over 130 companies and academic institutions whose expertise, commitment and resources are leveraged to invest in a more sustainable future for business in society.

The Association of African Business Schools (AABS)

Supports graduate business schools through capacity building, collaboration, and quality improvement programmes for deans/directors and faculty from African business schools.

The South African Business Schools Association (SABSA)

Assists in creating an effective means of leveraging information, skills and expertise between business schools and assists to develop the business education sector in line with international standards.

Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)

A voluntary initiative to stimulate responsible management education, research and thought leadership that is inspired by the UN Global Compact.

CEEMAN​

An international management development association established to accelerate the growth in quality of management development in Central and Eastern Europe. ​​

AACSB Accreditation​​​

AACSB provides internationally recognised, specialised accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral level. The AACSB Accreditation Standards challenge post-secondary educators to pursue excellence and continuous improvement throughout their business programs. AACSB Accreditation is known, worldwide, as the longest standing, most recognised form of specialised/professional accreditation an institution and its business programs can earn​.



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