5 Indian Firms Among World's Most Innovative Companies

2 Hindustan Unilever

Industry: Household/ Personal Care

Chief Executive Officer: Nitin Paranjpe

Hindustan Unilever is an India-based consumer goods company that has made its mark in the domestic market. The Company that placed at the twelfth position in Forbes’ list operates in seven business segments.

The company’s Soaps and detergents segment includes soaps, detergent bars, detergent powders and scourers.

The company’s Personal products segment includes products in the categories of oral care, skin care (excluding soaps), hair care, talcum powder and color cosmetics.

The company has a Beverages segment that includes tea and coffee. It also has a Packaged foods segment including staples (atta, salt and bread) and culinary products (tomato-based products, fruit-based products and soups), Ice creams and frozen desserts.

Hindustan Unilever’s other business segments include Exports, Chemicals, Water business etc. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories. The famous products in its portfolio include household brands like Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond's, Vaseline, Lakme, Dove, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, Closeup, Axe, Brooke Bond, Bru, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Wall's and the water-purifier brand, Pureit.