Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has been ranked sixth in the list of ‘Top Companies for Leaders 2011 Study Results' announced by Aon Hewitt, The RBL Group and Fortune .
IBM tops the list, followed by General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Aditya Birla Management Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive. A press release says HUL is the only Indian company that has been ranked in the ‘global top 10' consistently since the ‘Top Companies for Leaders' global survey was first launched in 2007. HUL has improved its ranking in the 2011 study to sixth position globally compared to 2009 when it was ranked 10th globally.
Five of the top 25 global winners are Indian firms. A Fortune article announcing the results states, “Indian companies, for example, tend to stress their leadership role in society, which explains why rising leaders at Hindustan Unilever and Wipro (No. 23) devote significant resources to building hospitals and schools in Indian communities.” The other Indian companies that find a mention are ICICI Bank (no. 7) and Bharti Airtel (no. 24).
When comparing the Global Top Companies for Leaders to more than 470 companies worldwide, the study identified a strong connection between business strategy and leadership strategy. All Global Top Companies have articulated a clear business case for investing in leadership as a strategic imperative.