The GSB's Executive MBA program at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in Germany.
One of the most important goals of the executive and management education at the GSB is to develop the participants into responsible leaders who are able to successfully fulfill leadership tasks responsibly for the employees, the company, society and the environment. In this context, the tradition of electing class patrons was also formed.
Each year, the graduates of an EMBA class select a personality from business, science or politics as the cohorts patron, with whom they can particularly identify and who represents the identity of their cohort.
With the patronage, the personality assumes the patronage for the respective year and should serve the alumni as a role model and inspiration for their future leadership and management tasks.
The following persons have assumed patronage of the Executive MBA program for the classes successfully completed to date:
| Name | Academic Year | |
 | Prof. Dr. Marbod Muff Chairman of the Board InnoNet HealthEconomy e.V., former Member of the Executive Board Boehringer Ingelheim | 1st Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Friedhelm Plogmann Former Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors Landesbank Rheinland-Palatinate | 2nd Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Klaus Kremper Founder and Partner OneFiber Interconnect Germany GmbH | 4th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Manfred Maus Chairman of the Cologne Diocesan Group of the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs (BKU), founder of OBI | 5th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
| Annette Schavan Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Heilige Stuhl, former Federal Minister of Education and Research | 6th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Rainer Brüderle Former Federal Minister of Economics and Technology | 8th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Christian Boehringer Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Boehringer Ingelheim | 9th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Karl-Friedrich Stracke President Automotive Engineering Engineering Magna Steyr AG & Co KG | 10th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Eveline Lemke Consultant, thinker and guide in the circular economy MdL, former Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate | 11th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Klaus Kaldemorgen Fondmanager, DWS, Frankfurt | 12th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Jörg Kukies State Secretary, Federal Chancellery | 13th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Malu Dreyer Prime Minister Rhineland-Palatinate | 14th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Matthias Fritton Executive Vice President of Deutsche Börse AG | 15th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Simone Menne Former member of the Executive Board of Boehringer Ingelheim | 15th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Christian Lindner MdB Federal Minister of Finance | 16th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Michael Ebling MdL State Minister of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate | 17th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Susanne Veltins Brewery owner C.& A. VELTINS GmbH & Co. KG | 18th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Federal President (ret.) Joachim Gauck Federal President (ret.) | 19th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Falko Hagebölling Head of Development Operations, Member of the Executive Board IVU Traffic Technologies AG | 20th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Dr. Jens Schulte CFO at SCHOTT AG | 21th Academic Year, Executive MBA |
 | Bettina Stark-Watzinger MdB Federal Minister of Education and Research | 1st Academic Year, MBA |