The Graduate School of Management St. Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU) is celebrating its 30th anniversary as one of the best business schools in the world. This is an authoritative center for management research and education in the field of management, embodying the mission "Create knowledge, develop leaders, change the world for the better" in specific cases.





GSOM SPbU is the only business school in Russia whose quality of education is confirmed by the triple crown of international accreditations: EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB. According to statistics, only one out of a hundred business schools in the world receives such an honor. GSOM SPbU is on a par with such popular educational brands as HEC-Paris, WU, Bocconi, NUS, Tsinghua or American Harvard Business School.

On January 25, 1993, the rector of St. Petersburg University, Stanislav Merkuriev, signed an order to open a faculty — a school of management. As a result of the first admission to the only "Management" program 33 students were admitted, and at that time there were four professors. Now the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg University (GSOM SPbU) implements a full range of educational programs in the field of management: Bachelor, Master, Doctoral programs, MBA and Executive MBA, corporate training, online programs for additional professional education. Over 30 years, more than 8,500 people have become alumni of the Business School. Today they are building successful careers as managers, entrepreneurs and consultants in Russian and international companies, developing their own businesses and heading public authorities.

GSOM SPbU has high positions in the international rankings of QS Rankings and Financial Times. In 2022, the GSOM SPbU Master in Management program rose to a record 21st position in the FT Global Masters in Management ranking, starting from 65th in 2013. Among European business schools, the program ranks 19th. The GSOM SPbU EMBA program was included in the FT Global EMBA ranking in 2022, taking 79th place in the list of the best programs in the world and 44th place in Europe. The joint EMBA program of GSB Almaty Management University and GSOM SPbU is now in 23rd place in the ranking of the world's best joint EMBA programs - QS Executive MBA Rankings 2022.

“GSOM SPbU is a world-class Russian business school, which, even in the current geopolitical situation, not only does not give up, but also improves its positions in the international rankings of the Financial Times. This confirms the highest quality of education for students and program participants. GSOM SPbU alumni are already occupying leading managerial positions in public and private organizations of the country, developing the economy and supporting the well-being of society, despite all the difficulties and challenges of the modern world. This is what the Business School was created for — the mission is accomplished, but not completed. I am sure that the next generation, brought up at the GSOM SPbU, will know even more than the previous one, because the development of the Business School is an ongoing process,” Sergei Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport, Chairman of the GSOM Advisory Board.

GSOM SPbU is the first educational institution in Russia for which the Advisory Board was created. Today it consists of heads of leading companies and government authorities: Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, VTB Bank, Rosneft, MegaFon, Gazprom, Transneft, Severstal, Norilsk Nickel, Russian Railways, AFK Sistema, SIBUR Holding, Tele2, JSC Trust Technologies - Audit, Procter & Gamble Company, L'Oreal, USM Holding.

The anniversary year will be held at GSOM SPbU under the slogan "Management of the Future New World".

“Today, GSOM SPbU is at a stage when a lot has already been achieved, years of hard work have brought their results. Succeeding and coping with all challenges the Business School is helped by shared values that unite faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners. Continuous development, professionalism, responsible leadership and openness are the qualities that make up the DNA of GSOM SPbU. Summing up the results of the previous 30 years and setting new goals, we know that these values will also be the basis for the implementation of the mission of GSOM SPbU in the new changing world — to create knowledge, develop leaders, change the world for the better,” Olga Dergunova, Deputy President-Chairman of the Board of the Bank VTB, GSOM SPbU Director.

In 2023, the anniversary year, GSOM SPbU plans to actively develop and scale up successful projects.

As part of the development of the digital educational environment, a pilot “Digital Student Profile” will be created and showcases of direction leaders will be formed to introduce Data Driven Decision Making into the daily practice of the academic community. The transition of the main educational programs to the new LMS system is planned. In 2022, training for students of additional professional education programs: MBA and EMBA, corporate and online programs was transferred to the digital platform — OWL LMS. The platform not only makes the interaction between professors and students more convenient, but also allows you to collect, analyze and, based on the data obtained, develop recommendations for improving the educational process.

 

The Business School has a research and educational center "Digital Technologies in Education". The Center's specialists consider that new technological solutions, if properly implemented in the educational process, can expand the educational experience of students and improve the quality of education without increasing the burden on the teacher. VR simulators are used in three training courses, and VR stations are deployed in the buildings of GSOM SPbU for students to independently practice their skills in working with an audience.

The Russian Science Foundation supported the idea of the GSOM SPbU research team to develop digital knowledge maps for educational and research teams. METACARTS will help to structure and formalize the knowledge of the teaching teams of educational institutions and research organizations. The availability and openness of information about the competencies of employees will help improve the quality of research communications, exchange of information and positioning of players in the market of intellectual services.

The digital transformation of business is dedicated to a special program for managers — MBA Challenges of the Digital World. Now GSOM SPbU is preparing new products for the market of additional education, so that managers can improve their management skills without interrupting their work process. In February 2023, the launch of Executive Education program for managers "Leadership in Uncertainty" and "Operational Efficiency" is planned, and the program "Management Essentials: Practical School of Management", which received the Grand Prix in the nomination "Best Online Education Program" at the VII Russian Forum corporate training, enters the B2C market.

 

GSOM SPbU introduces advanced technologies into the educational process, trains leaders of digitalization, and also creates methods for their use and shares new practices with the professional community: more than 700 professors from more than 130 universities in Russia and the CIS have already received access to the developments of the Teaching Excellence Lab (TEL).

 

The implementation of a large-scale project to create a digital educational environment on the GSOM SPbU campuses, including the equipment of innovative hybrid classrooms, became possible thanks to the financial and organizational support of the GSOM SPbU trustees and partners.

“Representatives of government and business help in developing the infrastructure of the Business School and participate in the educational process: they invite students to practice and internships, provide guest lectures and work in the Councils of Educational Programs, helping to update the knowledge that students receive, in accordance with the needs of the economy. The success of the Business school is primarily the success of its alumni, their competence and demand in the labor market. Now, understanding the processes of digital transformation is of particular importance for leaders. We not only include courses in data analysis and visualization in our programs, but create a digital environment where the potential of artificial intelligence is used to the maximum,” Olga Dergunova, Deputy President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank, GSOM SPbU Director.

 

The Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus of the GSOM SPbU is an example of how a combination of carefully restored classical architecture, a unique park and modern technologies gives a new life to a historical object. The educational building, student club and hostels are located on the territory of the former grand ducal residence. With the support of VTB Bank, a strategic partner of GSOM SPbU, a modern digital educational environment has been created here with the possibility of teaching in a hybrid format and comfortable hostels for bachelors have been equipped. Already this year, new sports facilities will appear on the territory of Mikhailovskaya Dacha. To recreate the historic lime tree, a fundraising campaign has been launched: trustees, partners, graduates and students, employees, professors and friends of the Business School can take part in the action "Give a Tree for the 30th Anniversary of GSOM SPbU". And next year, in 2024, the construction of hostels for Bachelor students will begin.