“Navigating a TURN to Reimagine the Future” or just flexing with multi-crore expansions, cloud kitchens, bio-packaging and incense sticks with personality? Either way, Sanjiv Puri’s AGM speech had more ambition than a Silicon Valley pitch deck.
1. At a Glance
At the 114th AGM, ITC delivered a masterclass in corporate reinvention: demerged hotels, launched food-tech brands, acquired ayurvedic baby-care startups, promised Net Zero by 2050, and revealed a ₹20,000 Cr investment roadmap across FMCG, Paperboards, Agri and Packaging. Basically: a legacy firm with startup dreams and old-money swagger.
2. Intro – The Patriotism-Powered Pitch
Chairman Sanjiv Puri kicked things off by invoking “Nation First”, military resolve, and “Operation Sindoor”—proving yet again that no AGM is truly Indian until nationalism makes a surprise cameo. But once the poetic intro wrapped, it was all business: 9 million livelihoods supported, 800 patents filed, 300+ districts touched, and one major transformation agenda: “TURN” – Turbulence, Uncertainty, Rapid change, Novel solutions.
Translation: “We’re not scared of chaos. We’ll just build more factories.”
3. The Big Moves – FY25 Greatest Hits
- Hotels Demerger: ITC Hotels spun off into a separate entity on Jan 1, 2025. Now asset-light, focus-sharp, and possibly checking itself into its own rooms for strategy offsites.
- Food-Tech Rocket: Brands like ITC Master Chef Creations, Aashirvaad Soul Creations, Sansho and Sunfeast Baked Creations now operate via 60 cloud kitchens. CAGR? A spicy 108% in 3 years.
- ITCMAARS: Their phygital agri-platform now links 22 lakh farmers and 2,050 FPOs. It also comes with drone pilots called “Drone Didis”. No, we’re not joking.
- Sustainability Chest Thump: Carbon positive, water positive, waste recycling positive, and now committed to Net Zero by 2050.
4. Shopping Spree: What ITC Bought (and Why)
- Blazeclan Technologies: To boost ITC Infotech’s cloud dreams.
- 24 Mantra Organic: For ₹200+ Cr, ITC got 100+ organic food SKUs and access to 1.4 lakh acres of certified organic farmland.
- Prasuma Frozen Foods: Now that dumplings are the new biryani.
- Mother Sparsh: Ayurvedic baby care—because Gen Z moms want plant-based wipes, not baby powder from 1987.
- Yoga Bar: Health food for people who think oats are a personality.
These deals weren’t just about buying brands. They were about acquiring Gen Z street cred.
5. FMCG Update: ₹34,000 Cr Consumer Spend
With a reach of 260 million households, ITC’s FMCG engine is now monetising everything from chana dal to Japanese Hokkaido Milk soaps. Oh, and they launched “Right Shift” nutrition for the 40+ crowd (finally, snacks for your dad’s cholesterol).
Fun fact: Fiama now uses Hokkaido milk in soap bars. We’re not sure if we’re supposed to bathe or drink it.
6. Paperboards & Packaging: Who Said Paper Is Dead?
- Century Pulp Acquisition: Because greenfield would’ve taken 4 years. This route? Cheaper, faster, and already pumping.
- EBITDA/ton Target: +30–40% jump over 2 years.
- New Growth Vector: Filo and Bioseal—sustainable packaging with barrier coatings, perfect for people who like their biscuit packets guilt-free.
Also, enter Fyba – their brand of export-quality, moulded fibre packaging from bamboo and wastepaper. Looks like your next Amazon box might feel biodegradable and luxurious.
7. Agri-Business: Still Sexy, Now with Nicotine
- Sourced 3.5 million tonnes of agri-products from 22 states.
- New growth vectors in spices, maize-for-ethanol, and pre-basic potato seeds (Technico is now world’s largest).
- ITC IndiVision started exports of pharma-grade nicotine derivatives. Apparently, cigarettes weren’t enough; now they’re going straight to the lab coat crowd.
Oh, and ITC’s 100-acre herbal hub in MP is now supplying high-purity turmeric and ashwagandha extracts. For your immunity, mood, and monthly D2C box.
8. ITCMAARS – The Phygital Agri Superapp Nobody Saw Coming
With AI crop advice, credit access, biological inputs, drone spraying, and market linkages, ITCMAARS is essentially “AgriTech: Avengers Edition”. They even participated in the govt’s “Operation Dronagiri”.
Key Metrics:
- 22 lakh farmers
- 2,050 FPOs
- 25–30% higher farmer incomes via precision inputs and tech
- 100+ partnerships
Farmers are finally getting more than just MSP and monsoon prayers.
9. Climate & Water – Saving the Planet, Spreadsheet by Spreadsheet
- CSA (Climate Smart Agriculture): Covers 31 lakh acres; expanding to 40 lakh by 2030.
- Water Security: 4 river basins restored; rainwater harvesting covers 18 lakh acres.
- Biodiversity Programmes: 6.4 lakh acres; aiming for 10 lakh acres by 2030.
One-liner: ITC uses AI not just for ads—but to predict climate threats on 140 sites and crop zones.
10. Digital + AI = FMCG 2.0
- Proprietary AI models predict what India’s Alpha and Gen Z cohorts want for breakfast, snacks, skincare, and pet food.
- GenAI is driving hyper-personalisation, which means your next Aashirvaad ad may know your blood group and whether you like turmeric in everything.
11. CSR Flex – And It’s Legit
- 60 lakh women empowered
- 28 lakh schoolkids supported
- 1.2 lakh youth trained
- 7 lakh healthcare engagements
- 95+ public-private partnerships
CSR at ITC is not a checkbox. It’s basically a parallel Ministry of Rural Development.
12. The Final Flex – Inspired Talent and Institutional Mojo
Puri closed the speech with a bow to Team ITC—diverse, inspired, agile—and probably caffeine-fueled. Also, a nod to the enduring trust of shareholders, farmers, and customers.
Edu Take™
A 114-year-old behemoth talking like a startup, executing like a war general, and investing like a sovereign fund. ITC is what happens when legacy meets reinvention—with a ₹20,000 Cr cheque in hand.
It may be the most “future-ready” old company in India.
Verdict:
Think of ITC like a renewable-energy-powered tractor: slow to start, impossible to stop, and now powered by AI, baby wipes, and Prasuma momos.
Written by EduInvesting Team | 25 July 2025
Tags: ITC Ltd, AGM 2025, Sanjiv Puri, Hotels Demerger, FMCG Strategy, Sustainable Packaging, ITCMAARS, Edu Style Article, EduInvesting Premium
