India - Reverse brain drain;Indian execs returning home

AHMEDABAD: IIM-A’s post-graduate programme for executives (PGPX) is becoming a channel for reverse brain drain. Indian executives working abroad are
willing to come back and see PGPX course as a route to start their career afresh in the country.

Hit by the global crisis, the expats feel Indian economy is far more robust and alluring for them and are ready to give up even a decade-long career abroad to settle in India. Close to 25 of the 30 students, who were working abroad and are enrolled for the course, have made up their minds to settle down in India.

“I see a better growth prospect in India as compared to the US where I worked for around 11 years before joining PGPX programme this year,’’ says Ganesh Balamitran, who moved to the US to do his master’s in electrical engineering and took up job in the Silicon Valley. Mr Balamitran received US citizenship in 2008 but that is not a sop enough for him to return to the US. “I would like to work in Bangalore where many of my friends from the US have settled down with their family,’’ he adds.

Close to 80 students of 2008-09 batch of PGPX would be leaving for the US, UK, France, China and Amsterdam for a month-long international immersion programme in November. Of the 30 students who have international work experience and as well as US citizenship, the programme will be just another academic exercise. Majority of them have already decided to stay back and take up jobs in India .

In fact, the numbers have only grown over the last three years since the PGPX course was started by IIM-A , say programme officials.

“I moved to the US to get international exposure as well as broaden my global perspective. Having worked there for sufficient number of years, I thought it was high time I come back to my roots,’’ says Kamesh Akundi, who did electronic engineering from Andhra University and worked for Cisco Systems here before being transferred in the same company in the US. “Growth prospect is always better in India. And with IIM-A course, one gets a broader field to play,’’ he further says.