Patanjali spurs hiring in ayurveda

A report by TOI states that the Patanjali effect of boosting consumption in the ayurvedic products space is being felt on the hiring front as well. People who have gained some experience in ayurveda are said to be in demand and also command a good premium on their existing salaries.

Hiring agencies said they are receiving inquiries not only from prospective companies, which are expanding in this space and are looking for candidates, but also from individuals who are exploring this sector for career opportunities.

“Placements are on the anvil,” said Ronesh Puri, MD, Executive Access. “Hiring is expected to take place at a good premium of about 30% in salary. This was never the case earlier. Following the success of Patanjali, the market for talent in the ayurveda space has grown by nearly 100% in the last three-six months. Other companies are replicating the Patanjali model and this has triggered demand for talent.”

Candidates with a BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery) background are being tapped by companies like Dabur India, which recently created a full-fledged sales vertical for healthcare with a team of 150 pharma professionals. This team reaches out to doctors to create awareness about the company’s products. Going forward, this number is only expected to grow further.Puri said employees from existing blue-chip FMCG companies, who were hitherto dismissive about the potential of ayurveda, are also exploring job opportunities to gain experience in this area.

Antal International has recently closed positions like CEO (international marketing), country head (Myanmar) and head (packaging development) for FMCG companies which have an existing ayurvedic product range or are looking to expand their ayurveda portfolio.

Mayank Chandra, managing partner, Antal International, said, “There is a huge demand for ayurvedic products in India at the moment. Our FMCG clients are expanding the ayurvedic product line where they require professionals for research and development, supply chain management, packaging, digital marketing and sales and marketing.”

Patanjali Ayurved, which is understood to have closed the just ended fiscal 2015-16 with a turnover of about Rs 5,000 crore, has created ripples in the FMCG space with existing players trying to add to their naturals range of products. Companies are beefing up their talent pipelines to take on the challenge from Patanjali, which is on an expansion spree. Sri Sri Ayurveda, too, has entered the fray with its range of products. On the other hand, FMCG companies like Emami, Dabur and Hindustan Unilever are either strengthening their naturals range or are acquiring brands in this space. Dabur India’s executive director (HR), V Krishnan, said, “In critical functions in manufacturing, like quality, we hire healthcare professionals with a BAMS background. The profile is similar for healthcare sales professionals and we give them technical training on our ayurvedic medicines range.”

Other than regular skills, knowledge of hinterland/rural market and usage patterns there are some of the skills companies are looking for in candidates.