IIT, IIM alumni form half of India's CEOs

Nearly half of the India Inc's professionals in chief executive role hail from the country's elite institutes -- IIT and IIM, a study says.

"A whopping 50 per cent of the professionals in chief executive or Strategic Business Leadership roles hail either from the IITs or the IIMs or both, across corporations studied," global executive search firm EMA Partners International said in a study.

Explaining the trend, EMA Partners International's managing partner-India K Sudarshan said, "Since mid-60s, graduates from these institutes have steadily permeated the Indian corporate landscape and through their sheer brilliance and contribution have climbed the corporate ladder and they further patronised their alma mater in their organisations."

"The major contributory factor for the success of IITs and IIMs is largely because of the selected input quality.

Besides, the very presence of several successful and distinguished alumni from these institutes in the corporate landscape adds up to the brand value of these institutes," Sudarshan added.

The study was conducted on the educational background profile of executive leadership across companies in India.

They covered top 200 companies in India chosen on parameters, including market cap, size of revenues, sector wise market leadership and employer branding. 

Out of the four elite IIMs -- Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow, IIM-Ahmedabad produces the largest proportion of Chief Executives at a whopping 62 per cent and IIM-Calcutta comes at the second place at 27 per cent.

However, IIM-Bangalore and IIM-Lucknow have made a lower impact in the top brass of corporate India, the study said.

A sectoral analysis shows that financial services and manufacturing sector represent the lions' share with 26 per cent and 27 per cent of the potent IIT-IIM combination, respectively. IT and ITeS comes third with 20 per cent.

The study further highlights that IIT and IIM graduates have skipped the public sector over the years, as the study said when it comes to the IIT-IIM combination, public sector accounts for roughly 8 per cent share.

This trend is however changing in the present economic scenario as PSUs have now emerged as the preferred job destination for the IIT and IIM students.

Last year, eye-popping salaries were offered on the campuses, but the effect of the financial meltdown has already taken its toll on the campuses this year, Sudarshan said, adding though that the impact would be 'temporary'.