Top-Ranked London Business School Sees Rising Demand for Saudi Leadership Education

Education

Top-Ranked London Business School Sees Rising Demand for Saudi Leadership Education

London Business School has reported a significant increase in demand from Saudi executives for its leadership and executive education programmes, driven by the Kingdom’s evolving workforce requirements and ongoing transformation under Saudi Vision 2030.

The globally recognised business school, recently ranked first worldwide by the Financial Times for its Open Executive Education programmes and second globally for its Custom Executive Education programmes, revealed that Saudi participation in its executive education offerings has grown sharply over the last three academic years.

According to data released by the School, participation by Saudi executives in LBS open programmes increased by 82% between 2022 and 2025, while the number of Saudi custom executive education clients rose by 88% during the same period.

Over the last three academic years, more than 9,000 participants from 254 countries have enrolled in LBS Executive Education programmes, reflecting growing global demand for advanced leadership training and strategic business education.

Tim Landucci, Head of Office (Saudi Arabia) and Director of Corporate Community at LBS, said the Kingdom’s economic transformation is reshaping leadership requirements across both public and private sectors.

He noted that Saudi executives are increasingly pursuing formal leadership education to navigate growing organisational complexity as businesses and institutions expand under Vision 2030 initiatives.

Saudi nationals now account for 67% of all Gulf-based participation in the School’s Executive Education programmes. Additionally, Saudi professionals represent the largest nationality group within the School’s Executive MBA cohort at its Dubai campus.

The School stated that the growing participation reflects increasing demand for leadership capability across government entities, sovereign wealth funds, and private-sector organisations involved in large-scale transformation projects.

LBS Executive Education programmes include both open enrolment courses, where executives join individually from multiple industries, and custom-designed programmes created in partnership with organisations to address specific leadership and operational challenges.

Commenting on her experience, Rehab Alkhater, a previous Executive Education participant at LBS, said the programmes helped provide broader strategic thinking and practical leadership skills required to operate effectively in a rapidly changing environment.

As part of its long-term regional expansion strategy, London Business School recently opened a dedicated Executive Education office in Riyadh, strengthening its engagement with Saudi organisations and leadership development initiatives.

The School also highlighted its growing role in supporting women’s leadership development in the Kingdom. Over the past five years, LBS said it has supported the growth and transformation of nearly 1,000 Saudi women leaders through its Executive Education programmes.

In the most recent academic year alone, participation by Saudi women executives increased by 52% year-on-year, underscoring the growing focus on human capability development and female leadership advancement across the Kingdom.