Católica Porto Business School has just reached a new milestone in its international journey, joining the Financial Times Executive Education 2026 rankings in the Open Enrolment and Custom programmes categories, with particular recognition for its growth, internationalisation, and academic partnerships.
The School now joins the group of the world's leading Executive Education institutions, ranking 85th globally in the Open Enrolment ranking — aimed at individual professionals and executives — and 99th globally (ex aequo) in the Custom programmes ranking, developed to meet the specific needs of organisations.
For João Pinto, Dean of Católica Porto Business School, this recognition "confirms the path of growth and international standing that the School has been building": "The entry of Católica Porto Business School into the Financial Times Executive Education 2026 world rankings is a very significant achievement for our School. More than a presence in a ranking, this result recognises the consistency of the work we have developed in training leaders, professionals and organisations, with a proposition grounded in academic rigour, closeness to the business world, and real impact."
Amongst the highlighted indicators, the international dimension stands out: in the Open Enrolment programmes, Católica Porto Business School reaches 21st place globally in "International Location" — an indicator linked to the delivery of programmes outside the institution's home country and region — and 41st place in "International Participants", reflecting its capacity to attract participants from different geographies.
International academic collaboration also merits recognition, with Católica Porto Business School ranking 36th globally in "Partner Schools" in the Open Enrolment ranking and 51st in the same indicator in the Custom ranking. This criterion assesses the quantity and quality of programmes developed in partnership with other business schools holding international accreditation from EQUIS or AACSB.
In the Open Enrolment ranking, Católica Porto Business School also demonstrates a strong performance in diversity, with 53% of participants being women — a result aligned with international trends in diversity and inclusion within executive education.
Also noteworthy is the performance in the FT Executive Education – Custom ranking, where Católica Porto Business School ranks 9th globally in the "Revenue Growth" indicator, which assesses revenue growth from custom programmes and the ability to foster ongoing relationships with organisations.
For Paulo Alves, Vice-Dean of Católica Porto Business School with responsibility for Quality and Accreditations, these results reinforce the importance of the School's continuous work in improvement, quality, and internationalisation: "Our presence in the Financial Times rankings is particularly significant because it results from demanding criteria that combine institutional data, participant and client evaluations, internationalisation, partnerships, and the impact of training. These results show that Católica Porto Business School today has a solid foundation of international recognition, whilst also challenging us to continue raising the quality of the experience we offer to participants and organisations alike. It is this commitment to continuous improvement that lies at the heart of our quality and accreditation strategy."
Entry into both Financial Times Executive Education 2026 rankings simultaneously joins a number of other international recognitions held by Católica Porto Business School — amongst them the "Triple Crown" accreditation (EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB), held by just 1% of business schools worldwide — further reinforcing the School's positioning as a reference institution of excellence, dedicated to developing professionals, leaders and organisations in a rapidly changing global context.
With this new milestone, Católica Porto Business School affirms its ambition to continue growing in the Executive Education market, strengthening its ties with the business community, expanding the international reach of its offering, and deepening the impact of its programmes on talent development and organisational transformation.
