Beyond Tobacco

More than two decades ago, Y.C. Deveshwar had just taken charge as the managing director at ITC when a senior executive came up to him to inform him about his resignation as ITC had decided to sell the international commodities trading business that he was heading. It so happened that after completing the negotiations, Deveshwar changed his mind (to sell the business) and so did S. Sivakumar, the executive.

That would be the defining moment for ITC and its future. For, Sivakumar went on to conceptualise, build and lead the highly complex agri business, which has not just transformed millions of rural lives through e Choupals and created a new era of technology led farming but is also the bedrock of most of ITC's current and future businesses FMCG, retail, food, exports, chocolates, dairy, among others.

This foundation of the ITC of today was