DESPITE A BUSY work schedule, Sanjiv Puri is particular about two things: he begins each day with 30 minutes of meditation and ends it with 45 minutes of yoga, regardless of where he is.
The meditation and yoga help Puri, 61, the Chairman and MD of ITC, steer the company's diverse businesses. Since he took charge as MD in May 2018 and Chairman a year later, ITC has grown rapidly across segments, be it on revenue, profitability, or market share. The ITC stock, which the markets did not warm up to for many years, has surged over the last 24 months by 86.18%. For a company primarily associated with cigarettes, the growth in its FMCG business has placed it in the industry's top deck. Last year, ITC announced the much-expected demerger of its ₹2,600-crore hotel business, allowing investors to participate in another business.
Other pieces in the ITC story-agri, paperboards, paper and packaging, and information technology-are interestingly poised. The synergy between businesses often becomes a strategic differentiator. The ability to innovate and build on a robust backend is expected to write the next chapter of ITC's growth story.
CONSUMER TECH
One loses count of the times Puri mentions "digital" during our two-hour conversation. In his elegant room at ITC's Virginia House headquarters in Kolkata, he says digital has to be mainstreamed. "For us, it must be as pertinent as any manager looking at his email. Everyone must be upskilled, and we already have the infrastructure," says Puri, winner in the Large Companies category of the BT-PWC India's Best CEOs ranking.
This story is from the March 17, 2024 edition of Business Today India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 17, 2024 edition of Business Today India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Dark Side Of Gold Loans
There Has Been A Sharp Rise In Gold Loans In Recent Years. But There Is A Seedier Side To This, As Is Evident From The Red Flag The RBI Raised Recently. Will The Regulator's Move Protect Customers?
All That Glitters
The price of gold has been rising unabated. It has soared to more than 73,000 per 10 gm in 2024 from *31,000 in early 2018. Is the rally sustainable or is this a bubble?
"Hire for attitude, not ability"
Thryve Digital is a player in the healthcare technology sector delivering next-generation solutions
Road Warrior
For Khalid Wani, Senior Director of Sales at Western Digital India, life is much more than just the corner office. Biking across the world is one way he derives meaning for his life
WIDENING THE POOL
THERE HAS BEEN A JUMP IN INDIVIDUALS INVESTING DIRECTLY IN THE STOCK MARKETS, BUT MUMBAI AND AHMEDABAD STILL ACCOUNT FOR THE LION'S SHARE. THERE DEFINITELY IS SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF PENETRATION LEVELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
CRISIS IN THE CLOUDS
INDIAN AVIATION IS IN CRISIS. AIRLINES ARE GRAPPLING WITH FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS, CREW SHORTAGES, AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT POOR SERVICE, ARE BLEEDING DUE TO RISING COSTS WILL THE FASTEST-GROWING AVIATION MARKET RECOVER?
"India should start privatising public sector banks"
Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, on growth, inequality, jobs, the banking sector, and more
"I LET MY WORK DO THE TALKING"
Megha Engineering & Infrastructures MD P.V. Krishna Reddy on being low profile, the infra opportunity and much more
"Core of insurance lies in long-term security"
Vibha Padalkar, MD & CEO of HDFC Life, on the insurance provider's performance, surrender charges, and future innovations
Distress in the Books
Bandhan Bank, the brainchild of Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, has made the journey from an MFI to a bank, but with many hurdles. Now with his resignation as MD & CEO, is the lender staring at more uncertainty?