Catch 'em young

If young blood tastes sweet, Indian corporate houses are developing a rather strong sweet tooth.
These days, businesses seem to prefer the drive and energy of the thirtysomethings to lead them.
As part of the corporate youth brigade, Bharat Puri, Kamesh Goyal, Harsh Piramal, Glen Saldanha, Sulajja Firodia Motwane, Amit Chandra, Madan Menon, Pramit Jhaveri, Manisha Gehrotra, Puneet Goenka, Praveen Someshwar are just a few head honchos who fit the bill.
The trend applies to middle and junior management levels too.
Says Manisha Gehrotra, chairperson and managing director of a leading bank, "Large corporations prefer result-oriented, energetic and creative people who are hungry. This may have more to do with productivity than age but it''s great that younger people are getting opportunities."
This trend is more visible in nascent industries like BPO and IT and organisations where pathbreaking solutions are constantly needed, like hospitality or FMCG.
Monica Doshi, VP of a training company, says, "Industries based on cutting edge technology need people with updated knowhow. When call centres started, there was no one with experience, so younger people got an opportunity."
Besides, over 54 per cent of the Indian population is below 25 years of age today.
Sujaya Banerjee, senior vice president (HR) of a leading ad agency, says, "Risk-taking ability is inversely proportional to age. Many companies prefer to mould their own leaders rather than get someone trained by other corporate traditions."
Banerjee explains, "A company with a younger CEO is making a statement to the world about its adventurous spirit and ability to take on challenges."