MBAUniverse.com on Executive Education: Interview with Prof Biju P Abraham, Chairman, PGPEX, IIM-Calcutta

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Updated on August 5, 2016
Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) started the one-year executive management programme Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEX) in December 2006.

 To know about the progress so far, MBAUniverse.com interviewed Prof Biju Paul Abraham, Chairman, Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEX) at Indian Institute of Management (IIM-C).  

Prof Abraham, an M.Phil. from JNU, New Delhi and Ph.D. from King's College London, he has also been the Chairman of the Post Graduate Programme at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta from November 1999 to November 2001.  

Q- What is the background of launching the PGPEX at IIM-C?
A- The Post Graduate Programme for Executives was introduced in December 2006. We were looking to add new one year programme of which should be meant for executives who have 5-6 years of work experience. Overall, the idea is to develop a programme for working professionals who have strong leadership potential.  

Today domestic industries are also looking for new ideas to compete at national or international levels. This programme helps to build professionals who can serve new ideas to these industries. The project during the PGPEX which is called International Immersion is designed to work on international projects where students have to develop and apply various ideas on these projects either working in India or abroad.  

Q- What is the current size of PGPEX batch and what is the profile of the candidates?
A- Currently, there are 40 candidates in the second batch of PGPEX. The average GMAT score is above 700, and the average wok-experience is over 10 years. Majority of them are from IT industry background, although a large range of industries like Telecom, Financial Services, Auto and Oil & Gas are represented.  

The candidates come from a variety of profiles like we have a superintendent engineer from India's leading Oil & Natural Gas company, additional commissioner in Central Board of Excise & Customs, Govt of India and business development manager from a leading global power and transport infrastructure company.  

Q – How has the industry reacted to the PGPEX programme?   
A- The response from the industry has been very positive. Industry appreciates the need for creating more business leaders to next generation forward.  

Our placement record reflects the confidence that industry has on our alumni. The very first batch of PGPEX bagged excellent placement offers. The placement process drew 48 companies for the 39 graduating students. The average domestic salary was Rs 19.98 lacs. The average international salary was $ 120,000. Companies like McKinsey and Co., AT Kearny, AD Little, Accenture Consulting, PWC Global, TCS, HCL Tech, HUL, ITC, PepsiCo and Wal-Mart recruited from the PGPEX batch.  

Q- When will be the third batch of PGPEX commence?
A- The application process has already started and the programme will commence in April 2009. This is a shift from the earlier batches where the programme commenced in December every year. This year, we are seeing a significant increase in number of applicants.  

Participants are selected from around the world through a tough selection process that reviews a candidate's work experience and educational achievements. The preliminary selection is based on the GMAT score and review of the application. The final selection is based on a detailed interview. 

Q- According to you what is the ideal profile of a PGPEX candidate? 
A- At the start of the process, there are some edibility criteria. The candidate must have a minimum 5 years of work experience. The candidate should have demonstrative capability to learn and good GMAT scores.

In essence, we look for a candidate who has the potential to reach at leadership positions where he can leverage his learnings, skills and experiences. We are looking for candidates who are leaders of tomorrow.  

Q- If we look at the trend in management education in last 5 years, there is a rise of executive education in India. Now four IIMs have full time programmes for executives. Then there are satellite/broadband based management programmes? How do you see the space?  
A- I think there are different needs of working executives and there is a role for these different programmes.   

Distance learning programmes are good for those who only want to acquire skills and apply them into the industry where they are working. In this case they don't need to quit their jobs.  

The short term programmes like MDPs are meant for those who want to gain education in a particular area which maybe new to them, or where there are new developments. 

The one year programme of the PGPEX type is relevant for those who aspire for top jobs and want to get ready for the challenges. It's a leadership programme.  

Q- What are the future expansion plans for programme?

A- We are increasing our batch size to 48 candidates next year. We are planning to add more electives and make the curriculum more aligned to international trends.