The ITC Profile

ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market capitalisation of over US $ 33 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, among India's Most Respected Companies by BusinessWorld 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. ITC has a diversified presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Information Technology, Branded Apparel, Personal Care, Stationery, Safety Matches and other FMCG products. While ITC is an outstanding market leader in its traditional businesses of Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards, Packaging and Agri-Exports, it is rapidly gaining market share even in its nascent businesses of Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Branded Apparel, Personal Care and Stationery. 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's diversified status originates from its corporate strategy aimed at creating multiple drivers of growth anchored on its time-tested core competencies: unmatched distribution reach, superior brand-building capabilities, effective supply chain management and acknowledged service skills in hoteliering. Over time, the strategic forays into new businesses are expected to garner a significant share of these emerging high-growth markets in India. ITC's Agri-Business is one of India's largest exporters of agricultural products. ITC is one of the country's biggest foreign exchange earners (US $ 3.2 billion in the last decade). The Company's 'eChoupal' initiative is enabling Indian agriculture significantly enhance its competitiveness by empowering Indian farmers through the power of the Internet. This transformational strategy, which has already become the subject matter of a case study at Harvard Business School, is expected to progressively create for ITC a huge rural distribution infrastructure, significantly enhancing the Company's marketing reach. ITC's wholly owned Information Technology subsidiary, ITC Infotech India Ltd, provides IT services and solutions to leading global customers. ITC Infotech has carved a niche for itself by addressing customer challenges through innovative IT solutions. 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.

ITC employs over 24,000 people at more than 60 locations across India. The Company continuously endeavors to enhance its wealth generating capabilities in a globalising environment to consistently reward more than 4,17,000 shareholders, fulfill the aspirations of its stakeholders and meet societal expectations. This over-arching vision of the company is expressively captured in its corporate positioning statement: "Enduring Value. For the Nation. For the Shareholder."

History and Evolution

ITC was incorporated on August 24, 1910 under the name Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited. As the Company's ownership progressively Indianised, the name of the Company was changed from Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited to India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970 and then to I.T.C. Limited in 1974. In recognition of the Company's multibusiness portfolio encompassing a wide range of businesses - Cigarettes & Tobacco, Hotels, Information Technology, Packaging, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Agri-business, Foods, Lifestyle Retailing, Education & Stationery and Personal Care - the full stops in the Company's name were removed effective September 18, 2001. The Company now stands rechristened 'ITC Limited'. The Companys beginnings were humble. A leased office on Radha Bazar Lane, Kolkata, was the centre of the Company's existence. The Company celebrated its 16th birthday on August 24, 1926, by purchasing the plot of land situated at 37, Chowringhee, (now renamed J.L. Nehru Road) Kolkata, for the sum of Rs 310,000. This decision of the Company was historic in more ways than one. It was to mark the beginning of a long and eventful journey into India's future. The Company's headquarter building, 'Virginia House', which came up on that plot of land two years later, would go on to become one of Kolkata's most venerated landmarks. Though the first six decades of the Company's existence were primarily devoted to the growth and consolidation of the Cigarettes and Leaf Tobacco businesses, the Seventies witnessed the beginnings of a corporate transformation that would usher in momentous changes in the life of the Company. ITC's Packaging & Printing Business was set up in 1925 as a strategic backward integration for ITC's Cigarettes business. It is today India's most sophisticated packaging house. In 1975 the Company launched its Hotels business with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai which was rechristened 'ITC-Welcomgroup Hotel Chola'. The objective of ITC's entry into the hotels business was rooted in the concept of creating value for the nation. ITC chose the hotels business for its potential to earn high levels of foreign exchange, create tourism infrastructure and generate large scale direct and indirect employment. Since then ITC's Hotels business has grown to occupy a position of leadership, with over 100 owned and managed properties spread across India. In 1979, ITC entered the Paperboards business by promoting ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited, which today has become the market leader in India. Bhadrachalam Paperboards amalgamated with the Company effective March 13, 2002 and became a Division of the Company, Bhadrachalam Paperboards Division. In November 2002, this division merged with the Company's Tribeni Tissues Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division. ITC's paperboards' technology, productivity, quality and manufacturing processes are comparable to the best in the

world. It has also made an immense contribution to the development of Sarapaka, an economically backward area in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is directly involved in education, environmental protection and community development. In 2004, ITC acquired the paperboard manufacturing facility of BILT Industrial Packaging Co. Ltd (BIPCO), near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The Kovai Unit allows ITC to improve customer service with reduced lead time and a wider product range. In 1985, ITC set up Surya Tobacco Co. in Nepal as an Indo-Nepal and British joint venture. Since inception, its shares have been held by ITC, British American Tobacco and various independent shareholders in Nepal. In August 2002, Surya Tobacco became a subsidiary of ITC Limited and its name was changed to Surya Nepal Private Limited (Surya Nepal). In 1990, ITC acquired Tribeni Tissues Limited, a Specialty paper manufacturing company and a major supplier of tissue paper to the cigarette industry. The merged entity was named the Tribeni Tissues Division (TTD). To harness strategic and operational synergies, TTD was merged with the Bhadrachalam Paperboards Division to form the Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division in November 2002. Also in 1990, leveraging its agri-sourcing competency, ITC set up the Agri Business Division for export of agri-commodities. The Division is today one of India's largest exporters. ITC's unique and now widely acknowledged e-Choupal initiative began in 2000 with soya farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Now it extends to 10 states covering over 4 million farmers. ITC's first rural mall, christened 'Choupal Saagar' was inaugurated in August 2004 at Sehore. On the rural retail front, 24 'Choupal Saagars' are now operational in the 3 states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, ITC forayed into the Greeting, Gifting and Stationery products business with the launch of Expressions range of greeting cards. A line of premium range of notebooks under brand Paperkraft was launched in 2002. To augment its offering and to reach a wider student population, the popular range of notebooks was launched under brand Classmate in 2003. Classmate over the years has grown to become Indias largest notebook brand and has also increased its portfolio to occupy a greater share of the school bag. Years 2007- 2009 saw the launch of Children Books, Slam Books, Geometry Boxes, Pens and Pencils under the Classmate brand. In 2008, ITC repositioned the business as the Education and Stationery Products Business and launched India's first environment friendly premium business paper under the Paperkraft Brand. Paperkraft offers a diverse portfolio in the premium executive stationery and office consumables segment. Paperkraft entered new categories in the office consumable segment with the launch of Textliners, Permanent Ink Markers and White Board Markers in 2009. ITC also entered the Lifestyle Retailing business with the Wills Sport range of international quality relaxed wear for men and women in 2000. The Wills Lifestyle chain of exclusive stores later expanded its range to include Wills Classic formal wear (2002) and Wills Clublife evening wear (2003). ITC also initiated a foray into the popular segment with its men's wear brand, John Players, in 2002. In 2006, Wills Lifestyle became title partner of the country's most premier fashion event - Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week - that has gained recognition from buyers and retailers as the single largest B-2-B platform for the Fashion Design industry. To mark the occasion, ITC launched a special 'Celebration Series', taking the event forward to consumers.

In 2000, ITC spun off its information technology business into a wholly owned subsidiary, ITC Infotech India Limited, to more aggressively pursue emerging opportunities in this area. Today ITC Infotech is one of Indias fastest growing global IT and IT-enabled services companies and has established itself as a key player in offshore outsourcing, providing outsourced IT solutions and services to leading global customers across key focus verticals - Manufacturing, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance), CPG&R (Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail), THT (Travel, Hospitality and Transportation) and Media & Entertainment. ITC's foray into the Foods business is an outstanding example of successfully blending multiple internal competencies to create a new driver of business growth. It began in August 2001 with the introduction of 'Kitchens of India' ready-to-eat Indian gourmet dishes. In 2002, ITC entered the confectionery and staples segments with the launch of the brands mint-o and Candyman confectionery and Aashirvaad atta (wheat flour). 2003 witnessed the introduction of Sunfeast as the Company entered the biscuits segment. ITC's entered the fast growing branded snacks category with Bingo! in 2007. In eight years, the Foods business has grown to a significant size with over 200 differentiated products under six distinctive brands, with an enviable distribution reach, a rapidly growing market share and a solid market standing. In 2002, ITC's philosophy of contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the entire value chain found yet another expression in the Safety Matches initiative. ITC now markets popular safety matches brands like iKno, Mangaldeep, Aim, Aim Mega and Aim Metro. ITC's foray into the marketing of Agarbattis (incense sticks) in 2003 marked the manifestation of its partnership with the cottage sector. ITC's popular agarbattis brands include Spriha and Mangaldeep across a range of fragrances like Rose, Jasmine, Bouquet, Sandalwood, Madhur, Sambrani and Nagchampa. ITC introduced Essenza Di Wills, an exclusive range of fine fragrances and bath & body care products for men and women in July 2005. Inizio, the signature range under Essenza Di Wills provides a comprehensive grooming regimen with distinct lines for men (Inizio Homme) and women (Inizio Femme). Continuing with its tradition of bringing world class products to Indian consumers the Company launched 'Fiama Di Wills', a premium range of Shampoos, Shower Gels and Soaps in September, October and December 2007 respectively. The Company also launched the 'Superia' range of Soaps and Shampoos in the mass-market segment at select markets in October 2007 and Vivel De Wills & Vivel range of soaps in February and Vivel range of shampoos in June 2008.

The ITC Way

ITC is a board-managed professional company, committed to creating enduring value for the shareholder and for the nation. It has a rich organisational culture rooted in its core values of respect for people and belief in empowerment. Its philosophy of all-round value creation is backed by strong corporate governance policies and systems. ITCs corporate strategies are :

 Create multiple drivers of growth by developing a portfolio of world class businesses

that best matches organisational capability with opportunities in domestic and export markets.

Continue to focus on the chosen portfolio of FMCG, Hotels, Paper, Paperboards &
Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology.

Benchmark the health of each business comprehensively across the criteria of

Market Standing, Profitability and Internal Vitality.

Ensure that each of its businesses is world class and internationally competitive. Enhance the competitive power of the portfolio through synergies derived by
blending the diverse skills and capabilities residing in ITCs various businesses.

Create distributed leadership within the organisation by nurturing talented and

focused top management teams for each of the businesses.

Continuously strengthen and refine Corporate Governance processes and systems to

catalyse the entrepreneurial energies of management by striking the golden balance between executive freedom and the need for effective control and accountability

The ITC Leadership

Flowing from the concept and principles of Corporate Governance adopted by the Company, leadership within ITC is exercised at three levels. The Board of Directors at the apex, as trustee of shareholders, carries the responsibility for strategic supervision of the Company. The strategic management of the Company rests with the Corporate Management Committee comprising the wholetime Directors and members drawn from senior management. The executive management of each business division is vested with the Divisional Management Committee (DMC), headed by the Chief Executive. Each DMC is responsible for and totally focused on the management of its assigned business. This three-tiered interlinked leadership process creates a wholesome balance between the need for focus and executive freedom, and the need for supervision and control.

Board of Directors

Audit Committee

Compensation Committee

Nominations Committee

Investor Service Committee

Sustainability Committee

Corporate Management Committee

Divisional/ Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Management Committees, each headed by a divisional/ SBU Chief Executive Business includes: FMCG, Hotels, Paperboards, Specialty Papers & Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology

Corporate Functions, each headed by a HOD Corporate Functions include: Planning and Treasury, Accounting, Taxation, Risk Management, Legal, Secretarial, EHS, Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Corporate Affairs, Internal Audit and Research & Development

The ITC Vision & Mission

Sustain ITC's position as one of India's most valuable corporations through world class performance, creating growing value for the Indian economy and the Companys stakeholders To enhance the wealth generating capability of the enterprise in a globalising environment, delivering superior and sustainable stakeholder value

Global Honours
ITC constantly endeavours to benchmark its products, services and processes to global standards. The Company's pursuit of excellence has earned it national and international honours. ITC is one of the eight Indian companies to figure in Forbes A-List for 2004, featuring 400 of "the world's best big companies". Forbes has also named ITC among Asia's'Fab 50' and the World's Most Reputable Companies. ITC has several firsts to its credit: ITC is the first from India and among the first 10 companies in the world to publish its Sustainability Report in compliance (at the highest A+ level) with the latest G3 guidelines of the Netherlands-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a UN-backed, multistakeholder international initiative to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. ITC is the first Indian company and the second in the world to win the prestigious Development Gateway Award. It won the $100,000 Award for the year 2005 for its trailblazing ITC e-Choupal initiative which has achieved the scale of a movement in rural India. The Development Gateway Award recognizes ITC's e-Choupal as the most exemplary contribution in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development during the last 10 years. ITC e-Choupal won the Award for the importance of its contribution to development priorities like poverty reduction, its scale and replicability, sustainability and transparency.

ITC has won the inaugural 'World Business Award', the worldwide business award recognising companies who have made significant efforts to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and enduring wealth in developing countries. The award has been instituted jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the HRH Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). ITC is the first Corporate to receive the Annual FICCI Outstanding Vision Corporate Triple Impact Award in 2007 for its invaluable contribution to the triple bottom line benchmarks of building economic, social and natural capital for the nation.

ITC has won the Golden Peacock Awards for 'Corporate Social Responsibility (Asia)' in 2007, the Award for 'CSR in Emerging Economies 2005' and 'Excellence in Corporate Governance' in the same year. These Awards have been instituted by the Institute of Directors, New Delhi, in association with the World Council for Corporate Governance and Centre for Corporate Governance. ITC Hotel Gardenia, Bengaluru is the first Indian Hotel and world's largest, to get the LEED Platinum rating - the highest green building certification globally. The Company's Green Leaf Threshing plants at Chirala and Anaparti in Andhra Pradesh are the first units of their kind in the world to get ISO 14001environment management systems certification. ITC's cigarette factory in Kolkatais the first such unit in India to get ISO 9000 quality certification and the first among cigarette factories in the world to be awarded the ISO 14001 certification. ITC Maurya in New Delhi is the first hotel in India to get the coveted ISO 14001 Environment Management Systems certification. ITC Filtrona is the first cigarette filter company in the world to obtain ISO 14001. ITC Infotech finds pride of place among a select group of SEI CMM Level 5 companies in the world. ITC's Green Leaf Threshing plant in Chirala is the first in India and among the first 10 units in the world to bag the Social Accountability (SA 8000) certification. ITC's R&D Centre at Peenya, Bengaluru has the distinction of being the first independent R&D centre in India to get ISO 9001 accreditation and certified with ISO 14001 for Environment Management Systems by DNV. The R&D Centre is also certified for the standard ISO/IEC17025:2005, by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). This certification is awarded for "General requirement for the competence of Testing & Callibration Laboratories". ITC Chairman Y C Deveshwar has received several honours over the years. Notable among them are:

Year Award The Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in the country by the Government of India in recognition of his distinguished service of a high order to the Nation.

2011

2010 The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) Award for Global Leadership. SAM/SPG Sustainability Leadership Award conferred at the International Sustainability Leadership Symposium, Zurich. Business Person of the Year from UK Trade & Investment, the UK Government organisation that supports overseas businesses in that country.

2007

2006

2006 Inducted into the `Hall of Pride' by the 93rd Indian Science Congress. 2005 Honoured with the Teacher's Lifetime Achievement Award. Manager Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young. Retail Visionary of the Year from Images, India's only fashion and retail trade magazine.

2001

1998 Honorary Fellowship from the All India Management Association 1996 Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT, Delhi. 1994 Marketing Man of the Year from A&M, the leading marketing magazine. 1986 Meridien Hotelier of the Year. Some of the other notable recognitions are: The Stockholm Challenge 2006 for the e-Choupal initiative. This award is for using Information Technology for the economic development of rural communities. United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Award at the international conference on Sharing Innovative Agribusiness Solutions 2008 at Cairo for ITC's exemplary initiatives in agri business through the e-Choupal. The Corporate Social Responsibility Crown Award for Water Practices from UNESCO and Water Digestfor its distinguished work carried out in the water sector in India. ITC also received the National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007 in the 'beyond the fence' category from the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre for its leadership role in implementing water and watershed management practices. The watershed programme also won the Asian CSR Award 2007 for Environmental Excellence given by the Asian Institute of Management. The Award recognizes and honours Asian companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class projects. The Company also received the Ryutaro Hashimoto Incentive Prize 2007 for Environment & Development from the Asia

Pacific Forum. This Award aims at promoting information dissemination of good practices towards sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. The Readers' Digest Pegasus Award for corporate social responsibility, recognising

outstanding work done by socially conscious companies.

The Corporate Award for Social Responsibility 2008 from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in recognition of its exemplary initiatives in implementing integrated watershed development programmes across 7 states in India. The company also won the award in 2004 for its e-Choupal initiative. The Award provides impetus to sustainable development and encourages ongoing social responsibility processes within the corporate sector. The 'Enterprise Business Transformation Award' for Asia Pacific (Apac), instituted by Infosys Technologies and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for its celebrated eChoupal initiative. The Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice Award 2008 jointly instituted by the Bombay Stock Exchange, Times Foundation and the NASSCOM Foundation. The NASSCOM - CNBC IT User Award 2008 in the Retail & Logistics category. The Company has been recognised for its pro-active and holistic approach to IT adoption and the seamless alignment of IT with business strategy. This is the fourth time that ITC has won Nasscom's Best IT User Award since it was instituted in 2003. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting with its Annual Report and Accounts, adjudged as a commendable entry under the Category 'Manufacturing and Trading Enterprises'. The Business Today Award for the Best Managed Company in recognition of its outstanding initiatives in the consumer products segment. The only Indian FMCG company to have featured in the Forbes 2000 list. The Forbes 2000 is a comprehensive ranking of the world's biggest companies, measured by a composite of sales, profits, assets and market value. The list spans 51 countries and 27 industries. The NDTV Profit Business Leadership Award for being the Best Food Company of 2007. The Award has been instituted to recognise organisational excellence. The CNBC-TV18's International Trade Award 2008 for Outstanding Exporter of the Year in the FMCG & Food category.

ITC continues its dominance of The Economic Times' Brand Equity listing of India's 100 Biggest FMCG Brands, with three brands from its stable making it to the top five. Gold Flake remains India's biggest FMCG brand in terms of sales. Navy Cut ranks at No. 4. ITC's Scissors brand ranks at No 5 and is the only new entrant into the top 10. Restaurant magazine has chosen Bukhara at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi as the best Indian restaurant in the world and the best restaurant in Asia. Bukhara has also been adjudged one of the top 50 restaurants in the world by the London based magazine 'The Good Food Guide'. Bukhara is the only South Asian restaurant to figure in the list. The "Best Supply Chain Practices Award" for time-effective and cost-efficient Logistics Management in Organized Retail to ITC's Lifestyle Retailing Business Division (LRBD). The awards were organized by Retailers Association of India (RAI) in association with ITW Signode the International leaders in packaging solutions. For a complete business-wise list of awards, click here:

Cigarettes LRBD Hotels Paperboards & Specialty Papers Packaging Agri Business Division Agri Business Division - ILTD e-Choupal

In FMCG, ITC has a strong presence in :

Cigarettes: W. D. & H. O. Wills, Gold Flake Kings, Gold Flake Premium, Navy Cut, Insignia, India Kings, Classic (Verve, Menthol, Menthol Rush, Regular, Mild & Ultra Mild), 555, Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut, Scissors, Capstan, Berkeley, Bristol, Lucky Strike, Players and Flake. Foods: (Kitchens of India; Ashirvaad,Minto,Sunfeast,Candyman,Bingo,Yippee, Sunfeast Pasta brands in Ready to Eat, Staples, Biscuits, Confectionery, Noodles and Snack Foods); Apparel: (Wills Lifestyle and John Players brands); Personal care: (Fiama di Wills; Vivel; Essenza di Wills; Superia; Vivel di Wills brands of products in perfumes, haircare and skincare)[2] Stationery: (Classmate and PaperKraft brands) Safety Matches and Agarbattis: [Ship (through ownership of WIMCO); iKno; Mangaldeep; Aim brands]

Other businesses include:

Hotels: ITC's hotels (under brands including WelcomHotel) have evolved into being India's second largest hotel chain with over 80 hotels throughout the country. ITC is also the exclusive franchisee in India of two brands owned by Sheraton International Inc.- The Luxury Collection and Sheraton which ITC uses in association with its own brands in the luxury 5 star segment. Brands in the hospitality sector owned and operated by its subsidiaries include Fortune[disambiguation needed ] and WelcomeHeritage brands. Paperboard, Specialty Paper, Graphic and other Paper; Packaging and Printing for diverse international and Indian clientele. Infotech (through its fully owned subsidiary ITC Infotech India Limited which is a SEI CMM Level 5 company)

[edit] Rural initiatives

ITC's Agri-Business is India's second largest exporter of agricultural products. ITC is one of the India's biggest foreign exchange earners (US $ 2 billion in the last decade). The Company's 'e-Choupal' initiative is enabling Indian agriculture significantly enhance its competitiveness by empowering Indian farmers through the power of the Internet. This transformational strategy, which has already become the subject matter of a case study at Harvard Business School, is expected to progressively create for ITC a huge rural distribution infrastructure, significantly enhancing the Company's marketing reach. The company places computers with Internet access in rural farming villages; the e-Choupals serve as both a social gathering place for exchange of information (choupal means gathering place in Hindi) and an e-commerce hub. What began as an effort to re-engineer the procurement process for soy, tobacco, wheat, shrimp, and other cropping systems in rural India has also created a highly profitable distribution and product design channel for the company an e-commerce platform that is also a low-cost fulfillment system focused on the needs of rural India. The e-Choupal system has also catalyzed rural transformation that is helping to alleviate rural isolation, create more transparency for farmers, and improve their productivity and incomes.

[edit] Corporate philanthropy

ITC e-choupal creatively leverages information technology to set up a meta-market in favour of India's small and poor farmers, who would otherwise continue to operate and transact in 'unevolved' markets. As of July 2010, services through 6500 Echoupal across 10 states, reach more than 4 million farmers in about 40,000 villages. Free access to Internet is also opening windows of rural India to the world at large. ITC e-choupal is now being regarded as a reliable delivery mechanism for resource development initiatives. Its potential is being tested through pilot projects in healthcare, educational services, water management and cattle health management with the help of several service providers including non-governmental organizations. Classmate notebooks were launched with the initiative of contributing 1 rupee towards the education of poor children,from every four notebooks it sold.

Classmate, has launched a programme called Classmate Ideas for India challenge. The programme would be a part of the company's centenary initiative.[3] The nation-wide programme would invite ideas of the youth, who have the potential to transform India. Classmate Ideas for India challenge plans to reach out to 25 lakh students across 30 cities, 500 schools and 200 colleges across the country.[4]

[edit] Forbes ranking

ITC features on the Forbes Global 2000 rankings for 2007 at position 1256.[5] ITC is the only Indian FMCG company that features on the Forbes Global 2000 rankings for 2009 at position 987.[6] ITC also featured on the Forbes World's Most reputable Companies List at position 95.[7]

[edit] Global and other Honours

ITC is the first from India and among the first 10 companies in the world to publish its Sustainability Report in compliance (at the highest A+ level) with theest G3 guidelines of the Netherlands-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a UN-backed, multistakeholder international initiative to develop and disseminate globally applicable Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

ITC is the first Indian company and the second in the world to win the prestigious Development Gateway Award. It won the $100,000 Award for the year 2005 for its trailblazing ITC e-Choupal initiative which has achieved the scale of a movement in rural India. The Development Gateway Award recognizes ITC's e-Choupal as the most exemplary contribution in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development during the last 10 years. ITC e-Choupal won the Award for the importance of its contribution to development priorities like poverty reduction, its scale and replicability, sustainability and transparency.

ITC has won the inaugural 'World Business Award', the worldwide business award recognising companies who have made significant efforts to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and enduring wealth in developing countries. The award has been instituted jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the HRH Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF).

ITC is the first Corporate to receive the Annual FICCI Outstanding Vision Corporate Triple Impact Award in 2007 for its invaluable contribution to the triple bottom line benchmarks of building economic, social and natural capital for the nation.

ITC has won the Golden Peacock Awards for 'Corporate Social Responsibility (Asia)' in 2007, the Award for CSR in Emerging Economies 2005 and Excellence in Corporate Governance' in the same year. These Awards have been instituted by the Institute of Directors, New Delhi, in association with the World Council for Corporate Governance and Centre for Corporate Governance.

ITC Hotel Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru is the first Indian Hotel and world's largest, to get the LEED Platinum rating - the highest green building certification globally.

The Stockholm Challenge 2006 for the e-Choupal initiative. This award is for using Information Technology for the economic development of rural communities.

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Award at the international conference on Sharing Innovative Agribusiness Solutions 2008 at Cairo for ITC's exemplary initiatives in agri business through the e-Choupal.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Crown Award for Water Practices from UNESCO and Water Digest for its distinguished work carried out in the water sector in India. ITC also received the National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007 in the 'beyond the fence' category from the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre for its leadership role in implementing water and watershed management practices.

The watershed programme also won the Asian CSR Award 2007 for Environmental Excellence given by the Asian Institute of Management. The Award recognizes and honours Asian companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class projects. The Company also received the Ryutaro Hashimoto Incentive Prize 2007 for Environment & Development from the Asia Pacific Forum. This Award aims at promoting information dissemination of good practices towards sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Readers' Digest Pegasus Award for corporate social responsibility, recognising outstanding work done by socially conscious companies.

The Corporate Award for Social Responsibility 2008 from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in recognition of its exemplary initiatives in implementing integrated watershed development programmes across 7 states in India. The company also won the award in 2004 for its e-Choupal initiative. The Award provides impetus to sustainable development and encourages ongoing social responsibility processes within the corporate sector.

The 'Enterprise Business Transformation Award' for Asia Pacific (Apac), instituted by Infosys Technologies and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for its celebrated e-Choupal initiative.

The Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice Award 2008 jointly instituted by the Bombay Stock Exchange, Times Foundation and the NASSCOM Foundation.

The NASSCOM CNBC IT User Award 2008 in the Retail & Logistics category. The Company has been recognised for its pro-active and holistic approach to IT adoption and the seamless alignment of IT with business strategy. This is the fourth time that ITC has won Nasscom's Best IT User Award since it was instituted in 2003.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting with its Annual Report and Accounts, adjudged as a

commendable entry under the Category 'Manufacturing and Trading Enterprises. The Business Today Award for the Best Managed Company in recognition of its outstanding initiatives in the consumer products segment.

Ranked no.63 in The Brand Trust Report published by Trust Research Advisory in 2011.

Job description: Sales Trainee

Apart from retail sales, most sales today are between businesses. In this sector, you'll use problem-solving skills to understand, anticipate and meet your customers' needs, who can range from private individuals to governments and international businesses. As a trainee sales professional, you'll find many opportunities to gain professional training, recognised qualifications and skills you can readily transfer from one industry to another. You're likely to focus on building long-term relationships with customers rather than hitting one-off targets. You'll work closely with customers, acting as an all-round business consultant to identify how they can make their business more profitable. Typically, you'll start out as a trainee sales executives or representative, selling products and services in a particular geographical area or business sector. You'll be responsible for developing existing customer relationships and finding new customers. At first under supervision of senior staff, your specific duties are likely to include:

Maintaining and developing relationships with existing customers via meetings, telephone calls and emails. Visiting potential customers for new business. Making accurate, rapid cost calculations, and providing customers with quotations. Negotiating the terms of an agreement and closing sales. Gathering market and customer information and providing feedback on future buying trends. Representing your organisation at trade exhibitions, events and demonstrations. Negotiating variations in price, delivery and specifications with your company's managers. Advising on forthcoming product developments and discussing special promotions. Liaising with suppliers to check on the progress of existing orders. Checking quantities of goods on display and in stock. Recording sales and order information and sending copies to the sales office. Reviewing your own sales performance, against targets as you gain experience.

You'll work alongside other team members, such as buyers and packaging experts, as in many companies sales is now a team process.

Hours and Environment

Generally, your hours will be quite long. In theory your working week may be 40 hours, but when travelling time is taken into account you'll be doing many more. The pressure to hit targets also makes late finishes likely.

As a trainee, you'll be office-based, but will also travel to meet clients and prospects. As you progress, you could well be working from home, transmitting orders, reports and sales analyses to your office. In view of all the travel you're likely to do, it's important to have a driving licence.

Skills and Interests

To be a successful sales trainee you'll need to have:
The ability and desire to sell. Excellent communication skills. Strong commercial awareness

A confident and determined approach. Resilience and the ability to cope with rejection. A high degree of self-motivation and drive. The ability to work both independently and as part of a team. The capacity to flourish in a competitive environment. Fluency in a foreign language may also be helpful.

Entry
Personality, commercial awareness and communication skills are generally more important than academic qualifications, yet for some technical sectors a relevant degree is very useful. If you're a graduate of any subject you can enter a company training scheme. Although, business/management, advertising or media studies and modern European languages are generally most useful, while for for pharmaceutical and medical sales subjects like life science, dentistry, nursing, medicine or pharmacy top the list. Similarly, if you're selling technical products, computing, engineering or technology are best. If you're selling financial products, you should show evidence of commercial awareness. Generally, some experience in sales or customer service work could also be useful. Individual employers set their own entry standards and although many require a higher education qualification others welcome applications from people with all kinds of background.

Training
Your training will usually be in-house. You're likely to take a short induction course that covers the goods or services you'll be selling, as well as selling techniques and the methods used for sales administration. The skills training element may be organised by your employer or an outside specialist. After initial training, you'll 'shadow' an experienced representative and gradually take over some of their calls under supervision. You'll then be expected to get up to speed and to begin to meet your individual target. You may undertake further training and development to support your career development. You should aim to complete the programme offered by the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management (ISMM), which will enhance your career and salary prospects. ISMM qualifications are suitable whether you're about to embark on a new career or are an experienced professional.

You could also work towards NVQ levels 3 and 4 in Sales, as well as qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Managing and Marketing Sales Association (MAMSA). See the appropriate websites for more details. Although not imperative, professional qualifications can definitely help with your career development. Some senior sales professionals undertake postgraduate study in areas such as sales management, or take an MBA.

Opportunities
As a sales professional, the more successful you are, the more you will earn and the greater your chances of promotion. Career development includes sales management and senior salesspecialists posts. Most companies have a promotion structure you could progress through, moving from trainee to sales executive, sales manager, regional sales manager and eventually sales director. Promotion is based on results, and rapid progress is a real possibility in sales. If you specialise in an area such as vehicle sales, you could become manager of a dealership. Sales skills are transferable across sectors, and you could move industries, or into specialist areas such as financial and medical sales if you have appropriate qualifications. You could even move out of sales altogether, and go into training and education or recruitment. You could also move into related career areas, such as advertising, marketing and public relations (PR). It's common to move companies for promotion or a higher salary. You could also set up your own company on the back of your sales skills.

Annual Income
Figures are a guide only.

After basic sales training, typical starting salaries for graduate territory representatives are in the region of 17,000. The package for field or territory sales executives normally includes a car. Senior sales executives can easily have OTEs of between 50,000 and 100,000 or even more