Growing No. of Firms Offering Diverse Roles, Greater Responsibilities & Higher Salaries Highlight IIM-A Lateral Placements

The Lateral Placement Process for the Two Year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) at IIM Ahmedabad has reaffirmed the status of the institute as the premier recruitment destination for both Indian and international firms. Conducted in the months of January
and February 2008, the process was unprecedented both in terms of scale and diversity.

The significant amount of prior work experience of the batch of 2006-08 led to an increase in the number of students eligible for lateral placements. Many big names in fields such as consulting, private equity, general management and banking participated in the process, and some of them recruited exclusively from IIM-A.

Sectors such as private equity, niche consulting, technology and logistics made a debut at this process. The growing number of firms on campus offering diverse roles, greater job responsibilities and higher compensation packages, at a time when the global job market is in a downturn, stands testament to the quality and diversity of the talent at IIM-A.

Lateral Placement Process

The lateral recruitment process is conducted specifically for students with prior work experience of at least 18 months. The increasing significance of the laterals process can be attributed to the rising proportion of students with work experience in each successive batch. The number of students eligible for lateral placements saw a significant jump from 89 last year to 112 students this year.

Prof. Piyush Sinha, Faculty Chairperson of the Placement Committee, adds, "Lateral Placements at IIM Ahmedabad have proved once again the standing of the institute among the world’s best when it comes to preparing managers not only for entry level but also for middle level management."

A Stellar Reputation

With this increase in the number of students eligible for lateral placements, even the number of firms participating in the process shot up to 37 firms. These firms made a total of 103 offers in the process. At a time when the job market across the world is going through a major upheaval, the above numbers reflect the continuing confidence firms worldwide place in IIM Ahmedabad. In fact, the number of firms offering international positions more than doubled this year from 3 to 7. The average salary for the laterals process as a whole saw an increase from Rs. 16.2 Lakhs last year to Rs. 18.3 Lakhs this year.

Increased Global Recognition & Diversity

Firms from a wide range of sectors, namely consulting, private equity, real estate, finance, information technology, general management and marketing, participated in the process. Some of the notable firms recruiting on campus were Booz Allen Hamilton, Monitor Group, Google and Amazon, among others.

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