ITC is one of India’s foremost private sector companies with a market capitalisation of US $ 45 billion and a turnover of US $ 7 billion. ITC is rated among the World’s Best Big Companies, Asia’s ‘Fab 50′ and the World’s Most Reputable Companies by Forbes magazine and among India’s Most Valuable Companies by Business Today. ITC ranks among India’s ’10 Most Valuable (Company) Brands’, in a study conducted by Brand Finance and published by the Economic Times. ITC also ranks among Asia’s 50 best performing companies compiled by Business Week.
Multiple Drivers of Growth
ITC’s aspiration to create enduring value for the nation and its stakeholders is manifest in its robust portfolio of traditional and greenfield businesses encompassing Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, and Information Technology. This diversified presence in the businesses of tomorrow is powered by a strategy to pursue multiple drivers of growth based on its proven competencies, enterprise strengths and strong synergies between its businesses.
The competitiveness of ITC’s diverse businesses rest on the strong foundations of institutional strengths derived from its deep consumer insights, cutting-edge Research & Development, differentiated product development capacity, brand-building capability, world-class manufacturing infrastructure, extensive rural linkages, efficient trade marketing and distribution network and dedicated human resources. ITC’s ability to leverage internal synergies residing across its diverse businesses lends a unique source of competitive advantage to its products and services.
Within a relatively short span of time, ITC has established vital brands like Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Dark Fantasy, Delishus, Bingo!, Yippee!, Candyman, mint-o, Kitchens of India in the Branded Foods space; Essenza Di Wills, Fiama Di Wills, Vivel, Vivel Cell Renew, Engage and Superia in the Personal Care products segment; Classmate and Paperkraft in Education & Stationery products; Wills Lifestyle and John Players in the Lifestyle Apparel business; Mangaldeep in Agarbattis and Aim in the Safety Matches segment. This growth has been rated by a Nielsen Report to be the fastest among the consumer goods companies operating in India.
Creating Enduring Value
Today ITC is the country’s leading FMCG marketer, the clear market leader in the Indian Paperboard and Packaging industry, a globally acknowledged pioneer in farmer empowerment through its wide-reaching Agri Business, the second largest Hotel Chain in India and a trailblazer in ‘green hoteliering’. ITC Infotech, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of India’s fast-growing IT companies in the mid-tier segment. This portfolio of rapidly growing businesses considerably enhances ITC’s capacity to generate growing value for the Indian economy.
ITC’s Agri-Business is one of India’s largest exporters of agricultural products. The ITC group’s contribution to foreign exchange earnings over the last ten years amounted to nearly US$ 5.4 billion, of which agri exports constituted 56%. The Company’s ‘e-Choupal’ initiative has enabled Indian agriculture significantly enhance its competitiveness by empowering Indian farmers through the power of the Internet. This transformational strategy has already become the subject matter of a case study at Harvard Business School apart from receiving widespread global acclaim.
As one of India’s most valuable and respected corporations, ITC is widely perceived to be dedicatedly nation-oriented. Chairman Y C Deveshwar calls this source of inspiration “a commitment beyond the market”. In his own words: “ITC believes that its aspiration to create enduring value for the nation provides the motive force to sustain growing shareholder value. ITC practices this philosophy by not only driving each of its businesses towards international competitiveness but by also consciously contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the larger value chain of which it is a part.” ITC group directly employs more than 31,000 people and the Company’s Businesses and their value-chains generate over 5 million sustainable livelihoods many of whom live at the margin in rural India.
Global Exemplar in Sustainability
Acknowledged as a global exemplar in sustainability, ITC is the only enterprise in the world, of comparable dimensions to be carbon-positive, water-positive, and solid waste recycling positive. A testimony to its commitment to a low carbon growth path – over 41 % of the total energy requirements of ITC is met from renewable sources. All ITC’s premium luxury hotels are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified making it the “greenest luxury hotel chain” in the world. ITC’s Paperboards and Paper business is an icon of environmental stewardship.
ITC’s production facilities and hotels have won numerous national and international awards for quality, productivity, safety and environment management systems. ITC was the first company in India to voluntarily seek a corporate governance rating.The Company continuously endeavours to enhance its wealth generating capabilities in a globalising environment to consistently reward more than 4,51,000 shareholders, fulfill the aspirations of its stakeholders and meet societal expectations.
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