There’s an Ethiopian saying, “Coffee and love taste best when hot.” So, too, do opportunities. As any successful businessperson knows, seizing a chance at the right moment is the luckiest feeling in the world. In 2000, such an opportunity was gifted to our founding Dean, Professor Nick Binedell, then University of Pretoria Vice-Chancellor Johan van Zyl, and a small dynamic team that turned a dream into the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

A quarter of a century in, and GIBS is still brewing something special. In fact, it feels like we’re only just hitting our stride—an idea reinforced at the start of this year with an extended five-year reaccreditation from EQUIS, the European Foundation for Management Development. This prestigious recognition places us among the world’s top business and management schools, a journey that began in 2021 when GIBS became the 113th institution globally to achieve the coveted ‘big three’ (Triple Crown) accreditation: EFMD, the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). More recently, our standing in Africa was further cemented with a 2024 accreditation from the Association of African Business Schools (AABS). 

Since the first GIBS MBA intake of 58 students experienced GIBS’ refreshing and exciting brand of general management teaching in 2000, we have bucked established trends. In 2001, GIBS invited eight journalists to a ‘GIBS 24-hour experience’ to give them a taste of what was happening in the classroom. A year later, our marketing wizards hosted a fun GIBS Business Masterminds quiz, these promotions kept us front of mind, but behind the laughs, we knuckled down. By 2003, we received our first ranking among the UK Financial Times' Top 45 business schools globally.

In 2004 – the year our doctoral programme launched, GIBS became the first African business school ranked in the UK Financial Times Executive Education survey. By 2005, we began collaborating with leading global institutions such as Harvard Business School, with whom we jointly ran the Making Markets Work programme. In 2007, GIBS became the official UP business school, and our academic credentials and research output accelerated. Our first case study, titled General de la Rey and the Blue Bulls by Michael Goldman, was published in 2008; since then, more than 262,200 GIBS cases have been sold by Ivey across 134 countries.

Over the past 25 years, GIBS has never been scared to experiment. Some innovations – such as our award-winning Acumen magazine (launched in 2012) have stuck, while others – our GIBS mobile app (2010), online learning portal GIBSDirect (2012) and GIBS Business TV show (2014) – were adapted into new approaches. Others, like the Personal and Applied Learning (PAL) unit, have continued to go from strength to strength since its formation in 2013. In 2019, GIBS became the first organisation in Africa to broadcast via live video on LinkedIn, and in 2023 we proved just how ‘hip’ we are by launching GIBSTok on the popular TikTok platform. In the same year, GIBS won a LinkedIn Learning Champion Award, affirming our unique learning approach. In 2024, we announced a new collaborative executive leadership programme with LaLiga Business School in Spain. 

Our faculty continues to publish highly regarded journal articles, book chapters, case studies, white papers and reports. For GIBS, these are more than just a reflected glow of our faculty’s depth and expertise — it is critical to filling the gulf in Africa-generated academic research. Since 2000, Africa and emerging market-focused research has been on the rise. As a proportion of global output, the continent continues to lag in terms of numbers and consistency of output. However, that is not the case in terms of valuable business, management, and leadership insights. I’m proud to say that many of the most impactful and relevant insights from Africa today emanate from GIBS. 

As we celebrate 25 years of impact, we remain committed to shaping the future of business and leadership in Africa and beyond. Here’s to the next chapter of innovation, excellence, and opportunity at GIBS.