'Swades' through IIMA

IIMAs post-graduate programme for executives is showing many Indians abroad the way back home

IIM-A's post-graduate programme for executives (PGPX) is now responsible for reverse brain drain. An increasing number of Indian executives working abroad are looking at PGPX, which is in its fourth year, as an assured way to boost their career prospects in India. PGPX is a full time residential programme for executives with substantial work experience.

As one of the very few economies showing positive growth, India is now being perceived as the land of opportunity for executives to have challenging careers. "As an emerging market for growth, India provides a wealth of opportunity. My goal is to tap into these opportunities while becoming a positive contributor to India's success story. I can already see the PGPX programme helping me get better equipped to accomplish that," says Rishi Tinaikar, who moved to the US nine years back to pursue a MS degree and took up a job on the East Coast.

Abhishek Kumar, who pursued higher studies and worked in the US after his graduation from IIT decided to come back to India after 10 years and join PGPX. He feels that PGPX is the best option to meet the dual objective of returning to India and earning a full time MBA from a premier school. Two months into the programme, PGPX has surpassed all his expectations - be it academic rigor, class energy and knowledge quotient, class diversity, on-campus residential arrangement. and commitment from academic and administrative staff. "I could not have made a better decision", remarks Abhishek.

PGPX has leveraged the IIM-A brand name by attracting people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The current batch profile of 80 participants boasts of an average GMAT score of 721, 10 years of average work experience and almost five years of average international experience in various roles spanning diverse industries. The learning from such interactions overshadows any classroom learning from other institutes in India. "PGPX course was exactly what I was looking for - the best B-school in India, short duration of one year, significantly less costly compared to most international programmes and a tremendous opportunity to network with a diverse set of highly successful individuals," says Guru Thiagarajan, who has lived in the US for 12 years and worked at MicroStrategy in US before leaving it all to return to India.

What's the programme all about?
The PGPX programme has a general management focus, with emphasis on managing across borders and cultures. The international immersion programme gives participants a chance to gain a global perspective. "In the coming years, there will be an enormous need in India for people with sophisticated business acumen. I believe PGPX is helping me learn more about organisational leadership in a global context. Though the programme is rigorous and demanding, what particularly drew me to PGPX was that it lets you explore different aspects of business and leadership styles in a risk-free training environment, as well as learn from the expertise of a diverse cohort," says Vipin Sharma, who went to the US to pursue higher studies and after working there for eight years, decided to come back.

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The PGPX programme has a general management focus, with emphasis on managing across borders and cultures. The international immersion programme gives participants a chance to gain a global
perspective. It is the best option to meet the dual objective of returning to India and studying in a premier MBA school.
- Abhishek Kumar, Student