The Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Lucknow on Monday announced its best-ever B.Tech placement season, even as Padma Shri Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director of the IIT-Kanpur, assumed additional charge as the institute's director.
Prof Arun Mohan Sherry formally handed over charge to Agrawal after being appointed Director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong.
Speaking to PTI after taking charge, Agrawal described IIIT Lucknow as a young institute with significant potential and said his immediate priority would be to prepare a roadmap for its future growth.
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"IIIT Lucknow is a young institute. It needs growth and sustained effort. I have taken charge today, and my first task will be to prepare a future strategy, identify the institute's requirements and ensure they are addressed so that it continues to progress," he said.
Agrawal said the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, being a larger and more complex institution, would naturally require a greater share of his time, but stressed that he would remain equally committed to IIIT Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}Agrawal said the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, being a larger and more complex institution, would naturally require a greater share of his time, but stressed that he would remain equally committed to IIIT Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}"IIT-K is a bigger and more challenging institute, so it will demand more of my time. However, I will remain equally committed to IIIT Lucknow," he said.
To ensure smooth administration, a dedicated team would be constituted to oversee the institute's day-to-day functioning.
"We will formulate a strategy and create a team to efficiently manage routine affairs. I will remain in constant touch with the authorities, provide all necessary support whenever required, and visit the institute regularly. Many routine matters can also be handled remotely while ensuring the institute continues to move forward," Agrawal said.
The leadership transition coincided with IIIT Lucknow announcing record placement figures for the 2025-26 B.Tech batch.
The institute said the average annual salary package rose to ₹40 lakh, up from ₹33.71 lakh last year, while the median package climbed sharply to ₹41.5 lakh from ₹26 lakh, the highest recorded by the institute so far.
A total of 204 out of 217 eligible students secured placements, translating into a placement rate of 94.01 per cent, according to IIIT Lucknow placement data.
The highest domestic package of ₹1 crore per annum was secured by Vedant Gore, a student of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAI) programme, who was recruited by global data management company Rubrik, it stated.
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Students received offers from several leading technology and corporate firms, including Amazon, Google, Rubrik, Meta, Graviton, Uber, Zomato, ICICI Bank, Meesho, Harness, PayPal, Cisco and Microsoft, it added.
Before handing over charge, Prof Sherry said leading IIIT Lucknow had been "a matter of immense honour, pride and satisfaction" and thanked the Board of Governors, faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders for their support in strengthening the institute's academic, research and innovation ecosystem.
Expressing confidence in Agrawal's leadership, Sherry said IIIT Lucknow would continue to achieve new milestones in education, research, innovation and technological development.
Sherry will now assume charge as Director of IIM Shillong. He said he looked forward to working towards taking the management institute to new heights in education, research, innovation, leadership development and global excellence.