Choosing a university? Our research reveals the degrees that lead to leadership

Founders aren’t just made in business schools

The data reveals that creative degrees like Art/Art Studies and Graphic Design play a far greater role in entrepreneurial success at top founder-producing universities than they do across the broader university landscape. In contrast, traditional business subjects like Business/Commerce and Marketing are less dominant among these top institutions.

This contrast highlights a powerful insight: founder success isn't tied to conventional business education. Instead, it often stems from creativity, communication, and alternative academic paths that foster original thinking and innovation.

The unexpected origins of CEOs and MDs

While the London School of Economics, Oxford and Cambridge still hold their ground, the top university for producing CEOs and MDs is the University of Cumbria, where 8.27% of graduates climb to the top of the corporate ladder - despite being ranked 123rd nationally by the Complete University Guide.

Sustainability Studies, an uncommon discipline, appears among the top 3 subjects for Cumbria’s business leaders, reflecting a changing priority among modern executives.

Table: Top 20 Universities Producing CEOs / MDs

Which subjects shape today’s corporate leaders?

This table highlights the most commonly studied degree subjects among graduates who went on to become CEOs or Managing Directors across the UK. Business and leadership disciplines dominate, with a few notable appearances from psychology and creative fields:

Top courses studied at the top 20 CEO / MD producing universities

Among the universities with the highest percentage of graduates who became CEOs or MDs, the top 10 subjects show a continued emphasis on business, but with interesting additions like Sustainability Studies and Sports Studies - neither of which appear in the overall top 10.

Leadership doesn’t follow a set curriculum

While business-related subjects such as Business Administration, Commerce, and Marketing remain dominant across both the broader university landscape and the top 20 institutions producing CEOs and MDs, some notable differences emerge. Sustainability Studies and Sports Studies, which don’t appear in the overall top 10, are featured among the top subjects studied at high-performing leadership institutions. This shift suggests that modern executives are increasingly coming from diverse academic backgrounds, with greater emphasis on purpose-driven leadership and broader life experience.

Additionally, the University of Cumbria, ranked 123rd nationally and based in the North West, tops the list for producing CEOs and MDs - showing that top business leaders don’t always come from London universities or traditionally high-ranking institutions.

Regional trends: the south still reigns, but the north is rising

Founders:
London remains dominant in producing founders with an average of 5.34% of graduates founding businesses, followed by the South West and South East. There’s a clear North-South divide, with northern regions still trailing - though Scotland is the standout northern performer.

CEOs & MDs:

While London continues to lead in producing CEOs and MDs, the North West and Wales have closed the gap, showing a more balanced geographic distribution of senior leadership compared to founder origins.

Leadership across the UK

A broader distribution of leadership talent may reflect changing educational, economic, and business environments across the UK - but London’s ecosystem still offers a unique advantage for entrepreneurial beginnings.

John Atkinson, Head of Commercial and Strategy at Novuna Business Cash Flow, commented:

“As students across the UK focus on their A-levels and look ahead to the next stage of their journey, this research highlights the importance of thinking beyond traditional paths. Whether someone’s future lies in founding a business or leading one, there’s more than one route to success - often shaped by creativity, values, and ambition.”

Summary: rethinking the road to success.

This data paints a compelling picture: you don’t need to attend one of the UK’s top-ranked universities or study business to lead a business. Whether it's founding a startup or climbing to the top of a multinational, creative, psychological, and sustainability-focused routes are becoming just as powerful.

About the data:

Field dates: 1st - 17th April 2025

LinkedIn data Methodology:
The research was conducted by analysing the 'Alumni' section on the official LinkedIn page for each university. Alumni were filtered based on those who held the job titles "Founder", "CEO", or "Managing Director" during the period from 2005 to 2024.

• The percentage figures shown in the "% that went on to be Founders", "% that went on to be CEOs or MDs", "Avg % Founders (2005–2024)" and "Avg % CEOs/MDs (2005–2024)" columns were based on this filtered analysis.
  
  

• To identify the courses studied, the same alumni group was analysed, with the top three fields of study listed under the "What they studied" section on LinkedIn for each individual.

University Rankings:
University ranking data was sourced from the 2025 Complete University Guide, available here.