Editor's Letter: The Crème De La Crème
“You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.” — Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Company
Leaders, be they people or corporations, show their mettle in times of stress, distress and mounting challenges. They hold up the lamp in the dark and these long months when a deadly virus has managed to infect both humans and economies, have brought many such remarkable flag-bearers to the fore. The year 2020 will be remembered, not just for the uncertainty that prevailed in the realms of business, trade and oil prices, but also as a unique point in history when the world joined hands to tackle a global pandemic and its fallout on lives and livelihood.
We bring out the BW Real 500 list in these special times, when many corporations and enterprises have emerged stronger and more resilient through this test of fire. The BW Real 500 ranking comes when businesses in India, are still coping with multiple challenges, like an economic slowdown, rising inflation and the proposed changes in the banking sector. We showcase how companies took on the Covid challenge and began to outsmart it towards the end of FY 2020. We highlight how top-ranked companies continued to create opportunities and assets. The BW 500 list takes into account revenue, income, and assets created by companies in the financial year 2019-20.
Asset creation, as we know, is the solid backbone of any economy and has been the focus of policymakers over the past few years, being the fulcrum that drives jobs and economic growth. The BW Real 500 ranking this year reveals that some companies have shown a marked improvement across several key balance sheet parameters including revenue, profit and loss and assets. In size and scale, the top 50 companies in the current BW Real 500 list account for more than 64 per cent of the total assets and income of all the 500 companies. Indian companies are focusing on increasing growth rates and putting their assets to best use. As always, the BW Real 500 list continues to capture and reflect the overall growth story of India Inc. There are several positive indicators of growing confidence among corporations that point to a better year ahead.
Those green shoots of an economic recovery are also evident in our Last Word with Saloni Narayan, Deputy Managing Director and COO, State Bank of India. Don’t miss our regular columns and features and do keep writing in with your views and feedback.
