Final Placements 2006 at IIM Ahmedabad

The Final Placements at IIMA this year were held from 8th March -13th March 2006. 235
students of the Batch of 2004-06 were placed across 5 days of recruiting. Table 1
provides details of student profile of the batch. A total 510 job offers were made to 235
students who participated in placements, with 83 students placed in Slot 0. This is a 41%
increase over last year’s 58. Of the total job offers, 72 students (30%) accepted overseas
placements. Over 33% of students placed in India were offered pay packages over INR
10 lakh per annum, with the domestic average at INR 9.72 lakh per annum. Also, of the
total students placed overseas, 50 were offered packages over USD 100000. The number
of companies also increased from 83 to 110 this year. Table 2 provides the details of slots
and acceptances.

The highlight of placements was the domestic offer of Country Head (compensation INR
34 lakh per annum) offered to a student from the batch, by RPG Enterprises. The highest
international package was the Associate level offer by Barclays at an unprecedented USD
185000 (Singapore $300000). Further more, three such International Associate offers
were made to students this year at IIMA.

Growing Preference for Indian Locations

In what seems to be a growing trend, an increased number of students chose domestic
placements over foreign offers this year. With growing preference for locations closer to
home (18 students gave up foreign offers to take up domestic roles this year), it seems
that the Indian success story has certainly led students comprising the cream of
management talent to stay back, in order to play pivotal roles in organizations here.

Shraddha Vohra, a student who rejected a pre-placement offer from a leading investment
bank for a marketing job from an FMCG major, says:
“I was not enjoying my work in finance as much as I had hoped to. Somehow, it could
never match the thrill I would feel solving marketing cases or working on my
independent project in branding. I also realized that I would rather take up a job that
would make me get up in the morning and want to go to work, than one that would
essentially offer me only money or glamour. Some of my peers have expressed surprise at
my choice, but I believe firmly that life is too short to be spent living other peoples'
convictions. I would like to spend my life pursuing my own sense of joy.”

“Off the Beaten Track” – Growing entrepreneurial pursuits

As many as 6 students either opted out of placements, or rejected job offers in order to
start their own enterprise. It reaffirms the fact that IIMA students have, over the years,
had the strong will and confidence in their abilities to reject attractive pay packages to
undertake riskier endeavours.
Says Mansur Nazimuddin, who gave up a Pre-placement offer with a leading investment
bank and intends to make his mark in the gaming industry,
“IIMA trains us to be business leaders. By starting a company of my own, I hope to put
to good use some of what I have learned over the past two years. The challenge of
running a company of my own is what drives me most towards doing this. What I learned
at IIMA will hopefully stand me in good stead in my efforts. I believe we should follow
our hearts and not worry about the results. If I do my job well, the results will follow.”
Appendix 1 provides details on more such students choosing to start up over high paying
jobs.

Rise in salaries
The salaries offered to IIMA graduates have steadily increased over the past few years,
and this year was no exception. Both domestic and international salaries increased
substantially.

The highest Indian pay package was at INR 34 lakh per annum, for a student placed as
Country Head, with a leading Indian firm. The highest International package was
$185000 offered to three students for Associate level positions with a leading investment
bank.

The average entry level domestic salary increased by 23% to INR 9.72 lakh per annum
from INR 7.9 lakhs last year, while the international average stands at USD 92500, a rise
of over 16%. The average lateral domestic salary increased to a high INR 10.6 lakh per
annum.

Increased Global Recognition and Job Diversity

IIMA seems to have truly arrived when it comes to recognition by major recruiters
worldwide. Not only did existing recruiters recruit in large numbers with IIMA, but many
new recruiters also came down to recruit based on the growing global recognition of
IIMA graduates. Table 3 gives exclusive details of acceptances by students to positions in
companies that participated in Slot 0.
The number of companies offering overseas jobs was as high as 20 in 2006. International
offers were made in Slot 1 as well with DBS, TAS, ICICI, TransIndus, etc. choosing to
place students overseas.

Major investment banks such as Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers,
Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley continued their association with the institute. Barclays
was the top recruiter across slots, with 16 students accepting the offer. That a single top
investment bank could make 22 offers at one campus alone is a reflection on the depth of
quality available at IIMA. Apart from this, Lehman Brothers (12 acceptances), Merrill
Lynch (8 acceptances) and first time recruiter ABN Amro Hong Kong (7 acceptances) at
IIMA total up to more than the corresponding numbers at other institutes combined.
Other investment banks participating in the process this year included Citigroup, CSFB,
HSBC and JP Morgan.

Top consulting majors participated in a big way too, with McKinsey, Bain, Booz Allen
Hamilton, Accenture, KPMG, AT Kearney and BCG all making several offers.
McKinsey and Company, making 2 Singapore offers for the first time, received a total 8
acceptances for its 8 offers.
Adding versatility to the consulting sector were niche firms such as supply chain
specialists ECS-Limited and infrastructure consultants Feedback Ventures. Global
eProcure, leading supply chain consultant participated for the first time and recruited 3
students exclusively for their Global programme. Overall, 27 new companies came to the
campus this year. Table 4 provides details of some of the new recruiters.

There was greater choice available to the graduating batch both in terms of jobs being
offered in new sectors and also greater diversity within a sector.
The sectors with fresh and growing presence in the process this year were BPO, KPO,
travel and tourism, supply chain consulting, amongst others. Financial services, banking,
marketing, IT, operations and consulting were the other sectors that continued to recruit.
Overall, jobs were offered in various sectors, reflecting the all-round strength of the
Institute’s curriculum. Table 5 gives the jobs accepted by sector.
(Some comments on location-wise distribution). Table 6 provides a location-wise
distribution of jobs.

Lateral Placements at IIM-A hit the roof

The Lateral Placements at IIMA for the 2004-‘06 batch were held in the months January-
March 2006. This year the lateral placements were characterised by an unprecedented
rise in number of offers, and the sheer diversity of jobs on offer. Apart from the highest
domestic salary by RPG, over INR 16 lakh per annum offer was also made by Genpact.

The diversity of job offerings for middle-management positions this time around has been
a significant gain for students. Apart from the dominant IT sector, this year saw increased
involvement from the BPO and KPO sectors as well. Among the leading recruiters in
these sectors were Genpact (with an offer of 16 lakh per annum amongst others), Fractal
Analytics and Dell Analytics, which came for the first time. IT was well represented by
Microsoft, HP, first time recruiters US technologies and Adobe, Trilogy, Cognizant, HCL
technologies, Covansys, Wipro, Infosys and many others. Consulting firms made a
beeline for the process as well, with BCG, TSMG and ECS-Limited all participating.
Other sectors were equally involved with big names including JP Morgan, LN Mittal and
others picking up students for non-entry level positions. IT consult major, Booz Allen
Hamilton and Bain and Company were here during slot 0 for lateral hires as well.

In the recently concluded process, as many as 133 offers were made to the eligible
candidates, and 38 of them were accepted. The average domestic salary among offers
accepted was Rs. 10.6 lakh per annum. The offers made also included 5 overseas offers,
with the highest offer being GBP 47000 per annum.

Overall, the laterals process this year has reaffirmed the fact that IIM Ahmedabad is
regarded by recruiters as a breeding ground for not just entry-level, but middle-level
talent as well.
Looking to scale greater heights

Recruitments 2006 have once again underscored IIM Ahmedabad’s ranking amongst the
top B-schools of the world. This year’s recruitments are a statement on the increasing
recognition accorded to the best Indian B-schools, on par with the world’s best. The
successful placement of the 241 strong batch of 2006 confirms the world-class quality of
IIMA graduates. A remarkable feature this year has been the increased diversity of jobs
on offer. Also, an extremely successful lateral recruitments process has ensured that
students get credit for relevant work experience. The IIMA Placement Committee expects
this trend to continue, bolstered by better job profiles, increasing pay packages, and more
challenging opportunities with each passing year.
_________________________________________________-
Ashok Kantilal Shah
Public Relations Officer
Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad 380 015
Phone: +91­79­2632 4889
Mobile: +91­98250 34889
email: ashokshah@iimahd.ernet.in
           6.ashok@gmail.com
Table 1: Student profile: Batch of 2006
Sector work experience Percentage of students
IT & Systems 26
Manufacturing 1
Banking and Finance 2
Strategy and Consulting 2
General Management 2
Operations 6
Sales and Marketing 9
Others  16
N/A 36

Educational experience Percentage of students
Engineering/Technology 75
Medicine 1
IT 4
Commerce 8
Science 4
Arts 3
Business Administration 1
Others  4
Table 2: Slot­wise distribution of students placed
Slot Students 
placed
Slot Zero 83
Slot One 132
Slot Two 20
Total 235

Table 3: Slot 0: Students placed, by company 
Company Students placed
ABN Amro 7
AT Kearney  5
Bain Consulting  5
Barclays  16
BCG  4
Booz Allen Hamilton 1
Credit Suisse First Boston  1
Deutsche Bank  3
Goldman Sachs 2
HSBC 2
International Finance Corporation 1
J.P. Morgan 1
Lehman Brothers 12
LN Mittal 2
McKinsey & Co.  8
Merrill Lynch 7
Morgan Stanley 2
UBS 2
Grand Total 83
Table 4: New recruiters

ABN Amro Hong Kong International Investment Banking sector leader 
Adobe Technologies Image printing and other  product  development 
major
Aim Trimark Investments Leading Canadian Funds Management firm
Ameriprise Financial Financial Services Consulting
Barings Private Equity Indian Private Equity space major
British Petroleum Singapore Global energy business major
Citigroup Hong Kong Investment Banking
Credit Suisse First Boston Investment Banking
Dabur Top Indian FMCG player
Dell Analytics Knowledge processing arm of Dell Inc
eBay Online auction platform major
ECS­Limited Supply chain consulting specialist
Global eProcure International supply chain consulting specialist
Hinduja Leading international conglomerate
IDFC Specialist financial infrastructure intermediary
Irevna Leading equity research firm
Marico Major Indian FMCG player
Merrill Lynch (For Finals recruitment) Reputed global Investment Bank 
Oracle Corporation Leading ERP Solutions provider
Reach Technologies Information Technology Solutions major
Reebok International sportswear and accessories major
Reliance Infocomm Limited India’s leading telecom giant
RSG Integrated e­business solutions provider
RPG One of India’s largest industrial conglomerates
US Technologies Global IT and BPO services provider
Sandstone Capital Leading Hedge fund in India
TransIndus, London Leading travel and tourism player in UK
Table 5: Students placed by sector
Sector Percentage of students
Commercial 
Banking/Finance 9
Consulting 25
General management 5
Investment banking 31
Operations 2
Sales/Marketing 12
Systems/It/ITES 16

Table 6: Location wise distribution
India 70%
Overseas 30%
ASIA 11%
US 7%
EUROPE 12%

Appendix 1

What students have to say on why and what they want to start up-
# Vineet Ladia & Aravind Venkataraman
Most of the graduate degree programs (B.Com, B.Sc., B.E.) in the country lack the skill
based training approach. There is great opportunity for such training to directly enhance
employability of the graduates from not-so-elite colleges.

“We see a huge need in the skill based training segment for the youth in the country and
wish to contribute in this field. IIM A’s exchange program also gave us a platform to
meet and network with people from across the globe. We met similar entrepreneurial
minds and are working closely with them in other countries to leverage India’s strength
in education. And response to why leave plush jobs: we wish to follow our dreams where
even sky isn’t the limit on the upside and the IIM A brand would ensure very limited
downside.”

# Nikhil Vaswani and Rohit Shankar

The venture we have formed called "BePositive Wellness Services Pvt. Ltd." (its a
registered company) is getting into a joint venture with a hospital chain and an IT park to
setup a "wellness" centre. This centre will design "customized" wellness programs for its
customers comprising of physical fitness (gym, sports, swimming etc.), nutrition
(dietician's consel and a food court), attitudinal changes (yoga, meditation etc.) and
professional healthcare. The program will be tailored to suit each customer's special
needs and professional lifestyle.
“Our main motivation to do this:
To ensure that India stays competitive especially in the knowledge sector. We will be
working on healthcare cost management for our corporate clients as well as contributing
to reduced absenteeism and increased productivity of employees.
Both of us also have a sporting background and would like to open sports academies in
the future. Such a venture is very close to this aim of ours and we will be able to use our
learnings from such a centre when we diversify into sports.”