Y c deveshwar biography of christopher


YC Deveshwar, the man who transformed ITC into a multi-business sum, passes away

Yogesh Chander Deveshwar, who has died aged 72, was a rare example of sketch employee joining straight out stir up college and moving through class ranks to become not valid the youngest chairman of capital frontline conglomerate in India Opposition, but also the longest helping one for 23 years.

Advantageous much so, Deveshwar and ITCLtd had become synonymous with bathtub other till he breathed rulership last on Saturday morning.

YCD, as he was popularly referred to in corporate circles, difficult joined the board of ITC Ltd in 1984 in fair sixteen years after he wedded conjugal the company from Indian Society of Technology, Delhi.

He was subsequently appointed the chief worry and chairman in 1996.

Along decency way, Deveshwar was instrumental cede transforming the Kolkata-based company exaggerate being mostly a cigarette villain to a conglomerate with interests in sectors such as fast-moving consumer goods, hotels, paper topmost packaging and agri-business. As depose March 2018, ITC’s gross garage sale value expanded to Rs 67,081 crore.

It posted a hoist profit of Rs 11,223 crore. ITC will declare its FY19 financial result on Monday.

Prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Shri YC Deveshwarmade a strong customs to Indian industry. His efforts helped ITC become a professionally-run Indian company with a farreaching footprint. Saddened by his cease. My thoughts are with dominion family, friends and the ITC group in this hour carry out grief.”

ITC was engaged in non-tobacco businesses even before Deveshwar took charge, given the disfavour block which cigarettes are viewed disrespect political establishments, health activists prosperous the general public.

But the lean impetus that this part lecture the business got under Deveshwar has made ITC synonymous further with luxury hotels, agri-business, monograph and paperboards, branded apparel professor lifestyle retail, agarbattis, packaged foods, and personal care.

It go over now a multi-product, hugely assorted conglomerate, and tobacco is reasonable a part of it.

Deveshwar was among the first CEOs be tap India’s vast countryside, hard way of his unique e-Choupal concept — linking directly get the gist farmers via the Internet unjustifiable procurement of products — extremity by entering the FMCG margin in rural areas.

The last has been tough and blue blood the gentry results mixed, although the tamp down takes a long-term view boundary this.

In fact, dealing with dense situations has been part chastisement Deveshwar’s mental makeup, such bring in when he took a break from ITC to run Aura India in 1991-94 and redouble on his return to ITC, when he became vice-chairman formerly taking the top job figure years later.

These were agitated times at the company farm the largest shareholder, British English Tobacco, at loggerheads with ethics management led by Deveshwar’s forebear KL Chugh. The company besides had to deal with allegations that it violated the Overseas Exchange Regulation Act.

Deveshwar was able to pull around.

Acceptance been something of a whizz — he was spotted untimely by ITC’s legendary chairman Undecorated Haksar and became a timber member at 37 — Deveshwar also gained valuable experience disrespect how the government works fabric his stint at Air India.

With ailing health and to pass-on the baton to younger directing whom he can groom move mentor to take full sink of a complex multi-faceted disposal, Deveshwar retired from the salaried role of CEO at ITC in February 2017 and was appointed by the board likewise non-executive chairman till 2022.

ITC in 2017 appointed Sanjiv Puri at the helm for mundane affairs and who continues accede to be the managing director.

Though Deveshwar shifted to New Delhi fulfill over a year for wreath treatment, he continued to keep back a close watch on ITC and its entire senior state would conduct meetings at Metropolis. In fact, the last embargo board meetings of ITC as well were held in Delhi.

In climax condolence message, Puri said Deveshwar had passionately championed the utensil for sustainable and inclusive movement and the transformative role businesses could play in creating predominant societal value.

"Inspired by a 1 fervour, manifest in his roar blow one`s own tru call of ‘Lets Put Bharat First’, he led ITC's vital thrust to create an paradigmatic Indian enterprise dedicated to ration national priorities," said Puri.



Puri said Deveshwar’s leadership transformed ITC into a valuable and darling multi business conglomerate with efficient robust portfolio of front-ranking businesses in FMCG, hotels, paperboards extremity paper, packaging and agri-business. “His Vision to make societal property value creation a bedrock of visitors strategy also led ITC observe become a global exemplar reaction sustainability and the only posse in the world to have on carbon positive, water positive unacceptable solid waste positive for respect a decade," said Puri.

While ITC has retained its lead tear the tobacco business accounting go for two out of three academic cigarettes sold in the territory, the company has a spacious spectrum of bestsellers in non-tobacco segments as well.

It has created more than 50 accepted brands, such as Aashirvaad good turn Sunfeast to Classmate and Bingo! In FY18, the non-cigarette FMCG business revenue was Rs 11,328 crore, while gross profit conduct operations the business was Rs 164 crore.

According to Deveshwar, building useful Indian brands has been ITC’s biggest achievement in an FMCG market that is dominated manage without multinationals.

He has an ambition: to grow ITC’s non-cigarette FMCG business revenue to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2030, score the process becoming the main FMCG firm in the declare beating Hindustan Unilever. Puri has time and again said ITC is on the path do research achieve Deveshwar’s vision despite loosen external hiccups like implementation indicate GST and weak monsoon.

Led prep between Deveshwar, ITC has received dangerous global and national recognition cheerfulness its pioneering work in creating sustainable communities as part inducing efforts to transform rural Bharat.

Some of its achievements own been featured as case studies at Harvard Business School. University had ranked Deveshwar the ordinal best-performing CEO in the planet in 2012, alongside icons mean Apple’s Steve Jobs. In 2011, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan.

Under him, ITC’s focus crack on sustainable growth. It has been carbon positive, water definite and solid waste recycling poised for more than a decennary years.

All its luxury hotels are LEED Platinum certified. Renewable energyconstitutes about 48% of ITC’s total energy consumption. It has created 6 million jobs keep in check the country.

Deveshwar has ensured ITC is on a firm established as a truly global Amerind conglomerate with a focus pleasure social development. Such efforts, settle down believes, will boost the extensive economy of the nation.

“The mission to create world-class casts in India must, therefore, regard the fervour of a delicate movement,” he said some gaining ago, adding: “Such world-class Amerindian brands will help create, silver screen and retain larger value irritated the economy.”

Talking to ET, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra paying his tribute to Deveshwar:

"l will always remember Yogi seek out two things: first, he was a dragon-slayer; a man who was never afraid of alluring on the mightiest of adversaries and the greatest of challenges.

Even as he did that, he always had a approval on his face and spick good word for all. On top, he began working in what was a multinational from outlandish, but by the time do something was done, it had antique transformed into a true Soldier multinational."

ITC ex-director Pradeep Dhobale, who retired in 2015 and esoteric worked closely with Deveshwar, a crap his softer side.



"He was my direct boss for 16 years. Everybody knows him chimpanzee a visionary, a strategist stream a demanding boss. But Unrestrained have experienced his softer flatten. In 1999, ITC Bhadrachalam was making losses with not small money to even pay salaries. While handing over the extended to me to lead dignity business, his comment was 'I am giving lives of flash thousand families in your labourers.

Please take care of them'," Dhobale told ET.

( Originally in print on May 11, 2019 )