Melanie Weaver Barnett UNICON Executive Director FT executive education rankings 2025

FT Executive Education Rankings 2025: UNICON Featured

The latest Financial Times Executive Education Rankings 2025 have once again highlighted the strength and growth trajectory of our industry, with UNICON Executive Director Melanie Weaver Barnett providing key insights into the optimistic outlook for corporate learning and executive education:

UNICON Benchmarking Data Reinforces Executive Education Industry Growth

This optimism is strongly supported by data from our annual UNICON Benchmarking Survey, traditionally announced during our Team Development Conference.

Our over 120 members reported impressive executive education growth figures: a 13% increase in open programme revenues and nearly 15% increase in custom programme revenues for 2023-24.

These results reflect not just market recovery, but genuine expansion in executive education demand across our global membership base spanning 33 countries.

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More than ever, there is a lot of optimism about the need for learning in the corporate world, given more and more change. People need frameworks, perspectives and new ideas.
— Melanie Weaver Barnett, UNICON Executive Director
Financial Times

Expert Perspectives on Executive Education Survey Results

We’re pleased to share insights from our Benchmarking Committee leadership, recorded during our recent Team Development Conference at Nova SBE in Portugal.

This 5-minute discussion features Brian Mahoney from Percept Research alongside Nicholas Hamilton-Archer and Cüneyt Evirgen, who provide context on what these executive education growth figures mean for the landscape:

Committee Members:

Nicholas Hamilton-Archer, University of Michigan Ross (Co-chair, 2024-2025)

Terry Wolfe, USC Marshall School of Business (Co-chair, 2024-2025)

Cüneyt Evirgen, Sabancı University (Off-Board Co-Chair, 2024-2025)

Fatos Aksel, Sabancı University

Luiz Buccos Silveira, Fundação Dom Cabral

Pamela Knight, The Wharton School

David Kutas, UVA Darden

Yazmin Norwood, University of Chicago Booth

Stuart Wells, Alliance Manchester Business School

Their collective leadership ensures our annual survey continues to provide valuable executive education industry insights.

Looking Ahead: Team Development Conference 2025 and Executive Education Data Collection

The momentum captured in both the FT Executive Education Rankings and our benchmarking data sets the stage for continued strategic discussions at our upcoming Team Development Conference 2025. Registration is now open for TDC 2025, taking place November 5-7 at Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C. Early bird registration is available at $1,450 (regular rate $1,750).

As we prepare for this year’s benchmarking cycle, we’ll be reaching out to members soon to collect 2024-25 data. Please keep an eye on your emails as your participation helps create the comprehensive executive education industry picture that informs our collective strategic planning.

The convergence of external recognition through the FT open and custom executive education rankings and our internal benchmarking data confirms what many of us are experiencing firsthand, even in turbulent times: executive education continues to be essential for organizational adaptation in an era of accelerating change.

November 5-7, 2025 | Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC

Connect with 200 executive education professionals and be among the first to discover the latest industry insights from our 2025 Benchmarking Survey results. Get exclusive access to fresh data, emerging trends, and strategic intelligence that will shape your programs and advance your career.

What to expect: Benchmarking survey winners announcement, data deep-dives, best practice sharing, and networking with industry leaders from top business schools worldwide.

Early Bird Rates Available | Regular Rate: $1,750

Register Now →

Limited spaces available. Don’t miss the latest industry data and insights!

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