IIM-A's executive batch gets CEO, COO offers

In 2007, the first batch of Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) broke all hiring records at the IIMs with the kind of salary and job profiles they received from recruiters. This year, the second batch is set to fare better.

It is for the first time that students of PGPX, a one-year programme that targets young industry executives with an average work experience of 7 to 9 years, has got such offers. Last year, a PGPX student had broken all records by receiving the highest job offer of over Rs 1 crore.

With two weeks to go before the placement season for the batch concludes, participants have received job profiles in the highest levels of management.

While final negotiations are still going on, it has been learnt that a logistics company from the Middle-East has approached a candidate for the CEO's position. This PGPX student has an experience of nearly two decades and owned a networking company before coming to the institute.

Participants have also received job profiles like COO, vice-president, general manager, regional director and engagement manager.

Unlike the Post Graduate Programmes (PGP) across the IIMs where most of the students are recruited on the basis of their work during summer placements or during the final placement week when companies come down to the campus, companies wanting to recruit participants from the PGPX batch prefer to fly them to their head offices so that they can interact with the topmost officials of the company.

"Considering the high level of positions offered, companies prefer top authorities to interact with the participants along with human resource officials. Even the participants prefer to go to the offices in order to familiarise themselves with the company's work ethics," said a student placement coordinator.

A UK-based consulting company has invited a number of students to its London office.

The first batch of PGPX saw their salaries increase by 79 per cent for overseas offers and 168 per cent for Indian offers over their previous remuneration packages. The present batch has received offers on par with last year.

Key recruiters include McKinsey, Booz Allen Hamilton, Accenture from the consulting domain and conglomerates like Reliance ADAG, RPG, AVB and ITC.

The IT/ITES vertical has seen companies like Microsoft, Google, Infosys China, VSNL, Tech Mahindra and Syntel come to the campus. New recruiters include GE, Tata Steel, Adani, Future Group, Fino, Electrotherm and iNautix.

Also, nearly 10-15 students have shown interest in joining start-up companies. The institute's placement committee has been in touch with nearly 20 start-ups and SMEs.

Last year, a total of 135 offers were made to 58 participants during the placement process which saw 62 companies participating.

The highest international salary was $250,000 (around Rs 1 crore) while the highest domestic salary offer was Rs 60,00,000 per annum.