IIM Kozhikode today announced the successful completion of summer placements for its thirteenth batch (2009-11). Despite anxieties surrounding the increase in batch size to 309 from 260 last year, IIM Kozhikode is the first IIM to announce 100% summer placements this year. Providing a testimony to the improving global sentiments and business environment, the summer placements season witnessed participation by over 120 firms. Global biggies such as Arthur D Little, KPMG, Hewitt, J P Morgan Chase, Citigroup, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, HUL, Pepsico, Colgate Palmolive reaffirmed their faith in IIMK students. The highest stipend offered this year was over Rs. 1,00,000 inclusive of perks and allowances. "Students got challenging roles and profiles of their liking with the support of our regular recruiters who have re-instated their commitment towards IIM Kozhikode. The participation of new recruiters in the emerging fields of media, sports management, hospitality and NGOs is indicative that our students are also willing to explore new avenues and challenge old stereotypes" says Prof Keyoor Purani, Chairperson Placements, IIM Kozhikode.
With the ghosts of the financial meltdown and global recession behind them, banks and other financial services firms were back on the talent hunt lapping up as much as 21% of the batch. Participation by Deutsche bank, JP Morgan Chase, Edelweiss, HSBC, Citigroup, Standard Chartered Bank, American Express, TATA AIG, L&T, SEBI, ICRA, Tata Capital etc ensured that there was no dearth of opportunities for students aspiring to pursue a career in finance. Business conglomerates such as Escorts group, Ramky group and Shriram EPC etc offered profiles in corporate finance with around 9% of the batch opting for these roles. Thus, around 30% of the batch showed their interest towards Finance as a vertical. Complimenting the students for their maturity and professionalism during the selection process, Mr. Ravi Ajmera, CAO – Global markets center, Deutsche Bank group said "We were greatly impressed by the maturity of IIMK students and their professional demeanor. The talent pool available was a good mix of industry experience and fresh enthusiasm."
Sales and Marketing continued to be a hot favorite with students and accounted for nearly 23% of the total offers made. Besides the regular FMCG majors such as HUL, ITC, Marico, Colgate Palmolive, Pepsico, Reckitt Benckiser, Asian Paints, Johnson & Johnson, Britannia, Heinz and Perfetti that visited the campus, reputed names such as SAB miller, Voltas etc also made significant number of offers. In a statement that reflects on the growing stature of IIMK among premium recruiters, Mr. Sajiv Nair, Manager – Corporate HR, ITC opined, "Our recruitment experience at IIM-K has been a delightful one. We are very impressed with the quality of talent incubated here and recognize it as one of the key sources of future leadership for the organization. We have selected 4 IIMK students to intern with us and see our engagement with the campus growing stronger year on year. The entire placement process was conducted in a very smooth and professional way…Kudos to the placement team and the student community!"
The area of strategy and business consulting saw participation by Arthur D Little, KPMG, Frost & Sullivan, Hewitt Consulting and Droege among others. A host of boutique firms such as Nodwin Consulting, Knowledgefaber, Beans and Intellect etc offered niche job profiles within the broad spectrum of business consulting. This season also witnessed enthusiastic participation by business conglomerates such as Essar, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mirah and Escorts group that offered roles in business development and general management. Students looking to build a career in operations management were made lucrative offers by Pepsi, Hindustan Coca-cola Beverages, Asian Paints, Essel Propack, and Jindal Steel and Power among others. Commenting on the structured and professionally managed placements process, Mr. Melroy Pinto from KPMG commented, "The placement process was very well organized as we have come to expect from IIM Kozhikode, we also had engaging interviews with many strong candidates."
IT majors Wipro, TCS, Cognizant, Omnitech, Patni computers, Hughes etc dished out a variety of roles ranging from IT consulting to sales and project management. In a testimony to the increasing interest shown by students in non-conventional sectors such as media and entertainment, sports management, Non Profit Organizations etc, students chose firms such as SET, NDTV, Viacom 18, Go Sports, PMG and Oxfam over plum offers in marketing and finance.
As many as 40 firms which include Biocon, Astra Zeneca, Singapore based Tolaram group, Dubai based Gargash Insurance and Kellogg’s recruited summer interns at IIMK for the first time. "Perfetti Van Melle got the opportunity to choose from and select the best talent in the campus. Appreciable qualities among the batch were their energy, enthusiasm and business acumen", said Neha Chhabra from Perfetti.
The Startup fair which was started as a pilot innovation by the Entrepreneurship cell last year grew by leaps and bounds increasing its participation to exceed 25 firms and over 40 students. The objective of the fair clearly extends beyond placements and is an attempt to provide a platform for interaction between students and successful entrepreneurial ventures. The highlight of the fair was the variety of profiles on offer that spanned roles in media marketing, sports management, advertising and consulting.
"IIM K got a dual advantage of tall mountain and top students. I'm sure that anyone who visited the campus will love to visit again and the recruiting experience was awesome" said S Ganapathi Subramanian, Regional HR Manager, Britannia Industries Ltd. |
Summer Placement