New research shows the University of Aberdeen is the best in Scotland and among the top 20 in the world for producing top-flight company chief executives.
The Press & Journal newspaper reports today (Tuesday) that the institution is up alongside the likes of Harvard, Princeton and Stanford universities in the US. The figures were produced by website search and creative content firm UK Domain.
Harvard tops the list, boasting six former graduates who have gone on to become CEOs at companies listed on London’s FTSE 100 Index or America’s Fortune 100 group of the largest firms, by turnover, in the US.
University of Aberdeen alumni include two CEOs at that level - Standard Life Aberdeen co-chief executive Martin Gilbert and Informa CEO Lord Carter of Barnes.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Sir Ian Diamond, said the institution had “consistently produced alumni of outstanding merit”.
He added: “Many have gone on to make major contributions to science, the arts, medical research, business, politics and much more.
“Our graduates have long been the best the country offers, benefiting from an outstanding student experience, securing specific Aberdeen graduate attributes, which have shaped them to be responsible global citizens with a strong academic background, ready to add value to their chosen professions.”
Speaking to the Press & Journal’s Deputy Business Editor Keith Findlay, Martin Gilbert, Senior Governor of the University of Aberdeen, said: “Aberdeen is up there with some of the best universities, not just in the UK, but around the world.
“It is no surprise graduates have gone on to be successful in their fields.
“Living in the city, whilst studying, one not only learns huge amounts in lectures and through tutors but also from what is happening elsewhere in the area.
“The hard work, entrepreneurship, perseverance and success of those involved in oil, farming, fishing and other sectors offer valuable lessons in business. They certainly helped drive my ambition.”
Other business leaders among the University’s alumni include multimillionaire North Sea oil and gas industry veterans Sir Ian Wood and Ian Suttie; Dame Susan Rice (managing director for Lloyds Banking Group in Scotland); Campbell Gemmell (former Scottish Environmental Protection Agency CEO); Ian MacKenzie (Hardy Oil and Gas CEO); Willie Watt (chief executive at Edinburgh-based Martin Currie Investment Management) and Jeanette Forbes (Chief Executive and founder of who information technology services firm PCL).