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Aalto EE Improved Its Rank of Customized Programs in the Financial Times Ranking

Aalto University ranks higher than in 2022 in the Financial Times’ global executive education ranking of customized programs. Aalto EE is now ranked 32nd on the world’s best executive educators list. The prestigious ranking further strengthens the position of Aalto University's executive education and professional development offering at the top international level in a highly competitive field.

Photo: Otso Alasko

22.5.2023

In the Financial Times (FT) university ranking, Aalto University increased its ranking of customized programs by 3 places from the previous year to 32nd place globally. Aalto University Executive Education Ltd (Aalto EE), owned by Aalto University, provides executive education within Aalto.

In customized programs, Aalto EE ranked 32nd globally (35th in 2022), and in open enrollment programs, their ranking was 59th in the world (46th in 2022). The combined ranking was 37th (34th in 2022). The rankings are based on FT's scoring, which is based on fourteen differently weighted criteria, the most important of which are customer reviews.

"Competition in the Financial Times rankings is fierce, and every year some business schools disappear from the list, and new ones replace them. Aalto EE's ranking indicates our strong position in the international top of executive education providers,” says Tom Lindholm, Aalto EE’s Managing Director and Aalto University’s Head of Lifewide Learning.

"We are extremely proud of the rise of several places in the rankings of customized programs. Our customer organizations have given us top-notch feedback on, for example, the content and design of the programs – placing us in the top three in the Nordic countries."

Best teaching methods and materials in the Nordic countries

A significant part of Aalto EE's business is customized programs for organizations, which Aalto EE implements about a hundred annually. Customized programs are designed and implemented together with customer organizations based on their needs. Aalto EE's rise in the ranking of customized programs indicates the impact of the programs, the topicality of the content, and the close relationship with practical business and competence development in organizations. 

"We are extremely grateful to our customers for their outstanding feedback. The rise in the ranking is an indication of the fulfillment of our customer promise: we create concrete solutions to organizations' development challenges and offer programs that have a clear impact on organizations' business operations in practice," says Miro Malmelin, Commercial Director of customized programs at Aalto EE. 

The ranking is based on a survey conducted for customer organizations and information provided by universities and executive education providers. Of these, the responses of customer organizations carry more significant weight. 

Aalto EE's offering combines wide-ranging practical expertise, the latest research from Aalto University, and top-class faculty and experts from academia and business. One of the significant criteria for the ranking is teaching methods and materials, in which Aalto EE ranked as the best in the Nordic countries. 

“Aalto University is a globally unique multi-disciplinary institution where art and science meet technology and business – and Aalto EE’s offering is also built on this foundation. As the world has become an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment, the importance of multidisciplinary as part of the emergence of new innovations increases. We believe that future innovations and solutions to the challenges of our time can be found at the intersection of different fields," says Lindholm.

“We can see a growing need in the market for impactful learning solutions. The importance of using impactful learning methods that drive the applicability of the learning in the client’s business context is becoming increasingly important as the demand for clear business impact from investment in learning is growing. I am delighted to see that our investments and development work in program design and teaching methods have paid off, and this development work has now also been noticed internationally," Malmelin adds.

Aalto EE's open programs arouse interest internationally

In the Financial Times’ combined ranking of open and customized programs, Aalto EE was ranked third best in the Nordic countries – as well as in the ranking of customized programs. 

Aalto EE is an international company with a lot of business in Asia and an extensive international partner school network. In addition to its own programs, Aalto EE produces programs in cooperation with partner universities in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America, among others. Regarding the number of international participants in the open programs’ ranking, Aalto EE ranked at the top of Nordic countries. 

"After the pandemic, we have invested in digital learning and method development. We implement several programs as a hybrid, which enables international participants to participate in our programs even more extensively," says Minna Wickholm, Business Director responsible for the open programs at Aalto EE.

"Last year, we launched new open programs in both Europe and Asia. When designing new programs and developing existing ones, we make continuous investments to ensure that the programs are international. It is a matter of honor for us that our programs attract international participants and that the participant profile in our programs is diverse," Wickholm adds.  

The FT Executive Education Ranking consists of three parts. This year, the ranking included the world's 75 top-rated business schools offering customized programs and 75 top-rated business schools offering open programs. Competition in the rankings is fierce, and 15 more business schools were added to the list in the latest comparison compared to the previous year; five to the ranking of customized programs and ten to the ranking of open programs.

The combined ranking lists the 50 best-ranking business schools.
Globally, Duke Corporate Education from the United States fared best in the ranking of customized programs, Iese Business School from Spain in the ranking of open programs, and HEC Paris from France in the combined ranking.

Further information

Tom Lindholm
Managing Director, Aalto University Executive Education Ltd
Head of Lifewide Learning, Aalto University
Tel +358 50 047 4746
tom.lindholm@aaltoee.fi

Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development

Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development (Aalto EE) offers impactful education, development, and training services. Aalto EE combines a wide range of practical expertise with the latest research from Aalto University. We aim to provide a sustainable platform for lifewide learning at different stages of a career. Furthermore, we operate as a strategic partner for organizations, enabling renewal in a rapidly changing business environment. Our unique portfolio of programs offers concrete solutions, intellectual capital, and professional head start for both individuals and organizations.

Aalto EE has two strongholds: our main office and learning facilities are in Helsinki, while our operations in Asia-Pacific are led from Singapore. In addition to Finland and Singapore, Aalto EE offers education programs worldwide. As a part of Aalto University, it holds three most respected business university accreditations – AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS – which places it among the top 1% of institutions in the world.