Changing society through education since 2003
Our
story

Aaron Etingen, CEO and founder of Global University Systems, sitting in his office and smiling to the camera.
Group of students celebrating their graduation, and smiling at the camera

Empowering students for a better tomorrow

Our journey started when Aaron Etingen founded the London School of Business and Finance in 2003 with just four students, with a vision to create a student-centric, groundbreaking education ecosystem.

Since the start, the Group has worked hard to keep the focus on delivering an excellent learning experience and career success for every student across our institutions.

Over the years, we have developed, acquired, and partnered with a diverse portfolio of state-of-the-art institutions worldwide. We currently educate around 122,000 students on campuses worldwide and have 20M+ unique subscribers to our digital courses. Our global ecosystem powers accessible digital learning and academic achievement.

We invest in the communities local to our institutions, offering students a meaningful experience and empowering them to transform their lives and their communities.

Our path to creating a student-centric, groundbreaking educational ecosystem has been an adventure. We have grown a powerful platform that allows extraordinary minds to thrive.

“Every day we are inspired by our colleagues and students who are making a positive impact on the world around them and building brighter futures.”

Aaron Etingen, CEO and founder of Global University Systems, sitting in his office and smiling to the camera.

AARON ETINGEN

Executive Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer

Global University Systems staff smiling and looking at the camera

Our
journey

  • 2024

    Established London School of Business & Finance in Kuala Lumpur  

  • 2023

    Yuliya Etingen appointed Chief Impact Officer 

    Bashir Makhoul joined University Canada West as President and Vice-Chancellor 

    Established London School of Business & Finance in Malta 

  • 2022

    Acquired FutureLearn 

    Jo Johnson joined FutureLearn as Chairman of the Board 

    Sagi Hartov joined GUS Germany Group as CEO 

  • 2020

    Acquired St. Matthew’s University, Saba University School of Medicine, Medical University of the Americas and Central Law Training Scotland 

    Karina Kizhner appointed as Managing Director and Vice-Rector of LSBF 

    Ehsan Safdari joined GUS Canada as President 

    Sharad Mehra appointed CEO of Asia Pacific 

    Boaz Arbel joined GUS as Portfolio Managing Director 

    Nitin Gupta joined GUS as Portfolio Managing Director

  • 2019

    Carl Lygo joined Arden University as CEO and Vice-Chancellor 

    Acquired Trebas Institute, Canadian College of Technology and Business and InterCollege Business School (now IC University of Applied Sciences) 

  • 2018

    Acquired London College of Creative Media (now London College of Contemporary Media) and University of Applied Sciences Europe  

    Established Berlin School of Business and Innovation 

  • 2017

    Cyndi McLeod joined GUS Canada as CEO 

    Acquired High-Q  

    Established Toronto School of Management 

  • 2015

    Acquired The University of Law, Arden University and IBAT College Dublin 

    Lord David Blunkett joined The University of Law as Chair

  • 2014

    Acquired University Canada West 

    Acquired London Academy of Trading  

  • 2013

    Aaron Etingen founded Global University Systems 

    Professor Dr Maurits Van Rooijen joined GUS as CEO (academic) and Group Rector 

    Acquired GISMA Business School (now Gisma University of Applied Sciences) 

    Rathakrishnan Govind joined LSBF Global as CEO   

  • 2011

    Founded London College of Contemporary Arts  

    Launched London School of Business and Finance’s Singapore campus

  • 2008

    Interactive Pro, an award-winning online education platform, was founded

    LSBF’s language school was rebranded as The Language Gallery and accredited by the British Council

  • 2003

    Aaron Etingen founded the London School of Business and Finance, the first business school to launch an MBA via Facebook 

Global University System CEO Aaron Etingen and staff members receiving a prize

Our
achievements

Celebrating the Group’s success

Over the last 20 years, our Group has achieved many accolades and won a number of awards, highlighting our commitment to excellence, innovation, and positive impact in education.

These include the London School of Business and Finance winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2013, Aaron Etingen being honoured with the Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award by PQ Magazine in 2023, Global University Systems winning Private Education Group of the Year at the EducationInvestor Awards 2019 and Arden University awarded with the Best Higher Education Provider at the EducationInvestor Awards 2023. 

Our awards