
FT Executive Education Rankings 2025: 7 Indian business schools among world's best
7 Indian business schools among world's best in FT executive education rankings 2025
In a significant endorsement of India's growing reputation in the global business education landscape, seven Indian business schools have been ranked among the top 95 in the Financial Times (FT) Executive Education Rankings 2025.
The rankings evaluate business schools across the world based on the quality and impact of their executive education programmes for working professionals and corporate clients.
At the forefront of this achievement is the Indian School of Business (ISB), which secured the 23rd position globally, climbing three spots from last year's 26th. ISB continues to lead the Indian contingent with its high-impact, industry-aligned executive learning solutions that are tailored for senior leadership and corporate transformation.
India's top performers in FT executive education 2025
Here's a look at the Indian business schools featured in this year's rankings:
Institution
2025 Rank
2024 Rank
Trend
Indian School of Business (ISB)
23
26
Up 3 places
IIM Bangalore
46
48
Up 2 places
MDI Gurgaon
61
–
New Entrant
IIM Ahmedabad
72
70
Down 2 places
IIM Calcutta
78
–
New Entrant
IIM Indore
83
85
Up 2 places
IIM Kozhikode
87
–
New Entrant
Indian School of Business ranks 23rd
ISB's consistent rise in the FT rankings reinforces its position as a global leader in executive education. The school has carved out a niche with its customised corporate programmes, collaborations with top international institutions, and focus on leadership development, digital transformation, and innovation.
With campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali, ISB draws on global faculty and strong industry partnerships to deliver programmes that equip executives with cutting-edge skills in a rapidly evolving business environment.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy
IC Markets
Tìm hiểu thêm
Undo
Steady performers:
IIM Bangalore
,
IIM Ahmedabad
, and
IIM Indore
Among the IIMs,
IIM Bangalore
remains the second-highest ranked Indian institution, improving slightly from 48th to 46th position this year. Known for its broad range of open and customised executive development programmes, IIMB continues to serve as a key player in leadership education for both Indian and multinational companies.
IIM Ahmedabad
, long considered a benchmark in Indian management education, ranked 72nd, dropping two places from last year.
However, the institute's executive programmes continue to enjoy global recognition for their academic rigour and case-based learning model.
IIM Indore
also saw a marginal improvement, moving from 85th to 83rd. The institute is gaining ground with its emphasis on blended learning, mid-career leadership development, and sector-specific executive offerings.
New entrants:
MDI Gurgaon
,
IIM Calcutta
, and
IIM Kozhikode
This year saw three new Indian entrants in the FT Executive Education Rankings, highlighting the broadening base of globally recognised Indian B-schools:
MDI Gurgaon
debuted at 61st position, thanks to its growing presence in the customised training space and corporate partnerships.
IIM Calcutta
made its first appearance at 78th, riding on the strength of its leadership and analytics-focused executive programmes.
IIM Kozhikode
, entering the list at 87th, has been gaining attention for its hybrid and digitally-enabled executive learning models, especially in ESG, digital transformation, and strategy.
The inclusion of seven Indian business schools, including three new entrants, reflects the diversification and internationalisation of executive education in India. As global corporations seek agile, future-ready leadership, Indian institutions are stepping up with programmes that blend global best practices with local relevance.
Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
AI-native startups edge out SaaS in investor playbooks as tech shift accelerates
India's venture capital ecosystem is undergoing a pivotal shift in 2025, with investors increasingly backing artificial intelligence (AI)-native startups over traditional software-as-a-service (SaaS) players. Between January and 4 June, AI-focused startups raised $454 million across 65 deals, slightly surpassing SaaS firms, which drew $432 million over 52 deals, according to data from Venture Intelligence. While some overlap exists as SaaS companies adopt AI features, the trend points to a deeper reset in investor priorities. 'AI-led startups are commanding 3–4x valuation premiums over traditional SaaS businesses, thanks to their potential for faster scalability and deeper, more transformative use cases," said Abhinav Chaturvedi, partner at Accel. Also read: 10 Indian AI startups and products to watch out for Blurring boundaries However, to stay competitive with pure-play AI startups, many SaaS companies are now streamlining operations and aggressively investing in artificial intelligence, according to multiple industry executives. This trend is pushing established SaaS companies to retool quickly. 'If SaaS companies don't integrate AI, they are unlikely to survive the next 2–3 years," said Nitin Bhatia, managing director at DC Advisory. 'We're seeing the switch happen where pure-play SaaS startups don't exist anymore. AI is becoming a fundamental part of what they offer—whether it's to enhance customer experience or product capabilities." This transition is also shaping the investment strategies of venture capital firms such as Stellaris Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Accel, who see the convergence of AI and SaaS playing out across their portfolios. Accel's Chaturvedi pointed to SaaS portfolio companies like Chargebee, which is exploring newer monetisation models like usage-based pricing, and BrowserStack and Testsigma, which are embedding AI to automate testing—showing how legacy players are not just adapting but helping shape this transformation. Some of the largest AI-linked fundraises this year include Netradyne's $90 million, SpotDraft's $54 million, and Infinite Uptime's $35 million rounds, according to Venture Intelligence data. The narrowing gap between AI and SaaS deal volumes underscores growing investor appetite for pure-play AI models. Deal data reflects this shift: in 2024, there were 193 SaaS deals versus 145 AI deals. A year earlier, SaaS saw 159 deals compared to just 96 in AI. While SaaS still leads in terms of overall capital raised, AI startups are quickly gaining ground with more focused, domain-specific solutions. Also read: Meta in talks to invest nearly $10 billion in artificial intelligence startup Scale AI Even within traditional SaaS portfolios, companies are recalibrating. 'Our existing SaaS portfolio companies are investing aggressively in AI capabilities. From Whatfix in the digital adoption space to Factors in marketing automation, most of our portfolio companies are already using AI to add features, increase convenience and reduce cost for their customers," said Ritesh Banglani, founding partner at Stellaris Venture Partners. According to Banglani, more than 80% of Stellaris' B2B SaaS deal flow is now led by AI-centric solutions. 'This shift will transform every process within an enterprise from marketing and sales to accounting and finance," he added. A generational shift Industry veterans believe the shift marks a generational reset for Indian software startups. SaaS inflows have dried up, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu said last week, attributing it to rising investor appetite for AI and growing profitability pressure on SaaS firms. He noted that artificial intelligence is now superseding traditional SaaS models in funding priority. Still, the broader outlook for SaaS remains strong—with a caveat. In August, Bessemer Venture Partners projected that the Indian SaaS market could generate three times more revenue by 2030 compared to today, driven in large part by the infusion of AI. In 2025, Indian SaaS is expected to clock $25 billion in annual recurring revenue. Bessemer also expects India to see a similar shift as the global SaaS wave of the late 2010s—with AI software exports playing a bigger role in the $400 billion global services market. As the Indian startup ecosystem matures, the once-clear boundaries between SaaS and AI are dissolving—with capital, innovation and talent increasingly flowing toward platforms that can do both. Also read: Boom in AI fuels a flurry of startups


Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Panama Canal boss says MSC ports deal threatens neutrality, Infra News, ET Infra
Advt The sale of two ports near the Panama Canal to a global consortium led by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) threatens the canal's principle of neutrality, the canal's head Ricaurte Vasquez told the Financial Times."There is a potential risk of capacity concentration if the deal comes the way it is structured as we understand right now," Vasquez told the FT in a report published on Tuesday."If there is a significant level of concentration on terminal operators belonging to an integrated or one single shipping company, it will be at the expense of Panama's competitiveness in the market and inconsistent with neutrality."MSC is one of the world's top container shipping groups. MSC and the Panama Canal Authority did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. CK Hutchison confirmed last month that MSC, run by the family of Italian billionaire Gianluigi Aponte , was the main investor in a group seeking to buy 43 ports, including the two ports in Panama, for $22.8 clarification follows weeks of scrutiny and criticism in China over CK Hutchison's plan to sell the ports to a consortium, which was previously led by US investment firm BlackRock . BlackRock remains part of the proposed sale has also drawn the attention of US President Donald Trump , who has repeatedly expressed his desire to reduce Chinese influence around the Panama Canal and termed the deal a "reclaiming" of the waterway after it was first April, China's top market regulator said it was paying close attention to CK Hutchison's planned sale and that parties to the deal should not try to avoid an antitrust added that the canal should use the ports deal as an opportunity to become a terminal operator itself by reactivating a project to build a terminal in the Port of Corozal at the Pacific end of the canal, according to the FT.


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
No declining trend in FDI into India: Piyush Goyal
There is no declining trend in Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into India, though periodic fluctuations may occur sometimes due to global interest rate changes, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. Mr. Goyal added that India is seeing renewed overseas inflows and the government is open to suggestions and will adopt new measures to promote FDI in the country. Over the last eleven financial years (2014-25), India attracted FDI worth USD 748.78 billion, an increase of 143 per cent over the previous eleven years (2003-14), which saw USD 308.38 billion in inflows. Spent an engaging evening with Indian business delegates. Held insightful conversations on exciting opportunities, partnerships, and new avenues for trade & investment between India & Switzerland, emerging from the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. 🇮🇳🇨🇭 — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) June 10, 2025 Additionally, the number of source countries for FDI increased from 89 in 2013-14 to 112 in 2024-25, underscoring India's growing global appeal as an investment destination, Mr. Goyal said. Given these figures, "I don't think that there is any declining trend, periodically there may be some changes, and that happens more due to changes in interest rate cycles in other countries, so if the bond yields in some countries become exorbitantly high, money tends to flow into those countries. we have once again seen money flowing back into India," Mr. Goyal told reporters here. In 2024-25, India received a total FDI of USD 81 billion, which is the highest in the last three years, he said. With USD 81 billion, India is back into the FDI growth trajectory, he said, adding, "We are a listening government. We are open to suggestions and we are always ready to adopt newer measures". The highest was USD 84.83 billion in 2021-22. The minister is here on an official visit to hold meetings with Swiss leaders and companies to boost trade and investments between the two countries. Foreign direct investment in India fell 24.5 per cent year-on-year to USD 9.34 billion in the January-March quarter of 2024-25 but grew 13 per cent to USD 50 billion during the entire previous financial year. Total FDI, which includes equity inflows, reinvested earnings and other capital, grew by 14 per cent to USD 81.04 billion during the last financial year. The same stood at USD 71.3 billion in 2023-24. During 2024-25, Singapore emerged as the largest source of FDI with USD 14.94 billion inflows. It was followed by Mauritius (USD 3.73 billion against USD 8.34 billion), the US (USD 5.45 billion), the Netherlands (USD 4.62 billion), the UAE (USD 3.12 billion), Japan (USD 2.47 billion), Cyprus (USD 1.2 billion), UK (USD 795 million), Germany (USD 469 million), and Cayman Islands (USD 371 million). Sectorally, inflows rose in services, trading, telecommunication, automobile, construction development, non-conventional energy and chemicals.