Finance Remained Preferred Destination at IIM Kozhikode with 37% Final Acceptances

The Batch of 2009 at IIM Kozhikode walked off with great pride after the successful completion of an exciting placement season. Braving the current recession, IIM-K pioneered a deep foray into new sectors whilst also expanding its roster of conventional B-school recruiters. A total of 94 firms took part in the placement process this year making a total of 251 offers to a batch of 185 students (the largest batch of the institute till date). These included the crème-de-la-crème from the financial and banking sector, top consultants, the biggest FMCG firms, marketing firms, media houses, and some of India’s largest conglomerates. The participation of some NGOs added an endearing flavour to one of the most corporatized event on campus.

“The Final Placement Process was largely successful due to our early planning and action to get the top recruiters on board as well as target new sectors, both in India and abroad,” said Dr. Keyoor Purani, the Placements Chairperson. Dr. Purani also added, “As a matter of principle we have tried that students get jobs in areas of their interest. Even if this has meant taking a little longer than usual years in completing the placement process, we provided choices of companies and roles for students to begin their careers in sectors they are comfortable working in.”

An International Affair

Students bagged a total of 23 international offers this year. The highest international offer was USD 120,000. Offers were made from firms in North America, Europe, South East Asia and other emerging markets. As always, students preferred the roles on offer over compensation or location. The ever increasing participation by International firms in the Final Placement process is indicative of the far reaching impact of IIM-K’s brand and the global competitiveness of its graduates.

The Home Front

The highest domestic offer stood at INR 24 Lakhs made by an investment bank based out of Mumbai. Though this is a decrease from what was achieved last year, IIM-K managed to minimize the impact on both the average salaries and the median package. Despite the global economic slowdown, IIM-K students ended the placements with an average annual salary of INR 10.61 Lakhs.

IIMK Placement 2009: Statistics

The entire gamut of corporate profiles were on offer, ranging from Investment Banking, Capital Budgeting, Treasury and Private Equity in Finance to Brand Management, Marketing Strategy, Advertising, Product Development in Marketing. As always, students were spoilt for choice and had the option to take the role that best suited their interests.

Sectoral Divide

Despite a reduction in their international operations, significant participation was seen from the Financial Sector companies in both the private and public space. Offers were made by Deutsche Bank, Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, American Express, Yes Bank, Axis Bank, Aranca, Barings Private Equity, Futures First, SEBI, ICRA, SBI Cap, etc. Finance still remained the preferred destination for most of the students with as many as 37% final acceptances. The talk of recession was drowned down by the frenzy with which students were lapped up by the banks.

IIMK Placement 2009

In Marketing & Business Development, another favourite of IIM-K graduates, students took up jobs in some of the biggest brands in the business. Firms like Coke, Pepsi, ITC, Reckitt Benckiser, Pfizer, JnJ Medical, Marico, Sony Entertainment, Britannia, Asian Paints, VIP, Titan, Idea Cellular, Godrej, etc., participated in the process. The percentage of final acceptances in Marketing & Business Development roles stood at 28%.

Top Consulting firms such as McKinsey and Co., Arthur D little, Gallup Consulting, Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers also participated in the Placement process.

Other important recruiters included Freudenberg, Maersk, Infosys, Cognizant, Dr. Reddy’s, etc.

Conglomerates such as Manipal Group, Tolaram Group and Essar were also on campus for placements. They offered diverse roles in almost all areas of their operation including General Management. A number of PSUs such as IOCL, SIDBI, Bank of Baroda, HAL, SAIL, PFC and HPCL also recruited from IIM-K this year, some of them for the first time. The recruiters were impressed by the level of preparedness that the students demonstrated which reflected in the large number of final offers made.

Lateral Placements

Given the diverse and extensive work experience of IIM-K students, it was little wonder that the Lateral Placement Process was such a success. Firms recruited for senior level positions in Corporate Strategy and Corporate Branding. Other strategic roles on offer were Executive Assistant to CEO, Product Managers and Leads of entire Business Divisions.

The current batch also saw some students deciding to commence their careers in non-traditional sectors such as Non Profit Organizations and Media Companies, among others. “Getting an opportunity to begin my career with a production house is a dream come true for me. I have always seen myself as a person who will be happiest in the media sector and getting a job from campus into this sector is a matter of great joy,” says Deepak Oram, a student of the outgoing batch of IIM Kozhikode.

Undivided Loyalties

A great part of the success achieved in this placement season was attributable to the immense support that the Alumni continued to provide on a regular basis. They are the brand ambassadors of the institute and it is their success in their respective fields that translates into success for IIM-K.

A lot of existing recruiters maintained their relationship with IIM-K. Even in these testing times, the allure of IIM-K’s promise of quality students was enough to get them on campus and recruit.

The Land of Opportunity

IIM-K has always strived in creating entrepreneurs and this year saw two students deciding to avail of the placement holiday. They are planning to start ventures of their own. Rajat Kathpalia, a resident of Delhi, has decided to start his own venture in the field of green technology consulting. Rajveer Singh, on the other hand, has decided on making a career for himself in the field of microfinance and agriculture, and is setting up his own business in this sector.