Forbes 100 World’s Most Innovative Companies: Hindustan Unilever Beats Google…WoW!

Forbes released its list of Most Innovative Companies in the World – and I am really surprised at these rankings, especially because I am sure any list coming from Forbes has to be taken seriously.

Would anyone believe if they said that FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever was more innovative than Google or for that matter Indian PSU Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) is more innovative than Infosys ?

But that’s exactly what Forbes list has to say!

The Forbes Most Innovative company list puts Salesforce.com at top of the list, followed by Amazon.com. Apple, which many believe to be the pinnacle of innovation though is 5th best, just one rank above Hindustan Lever.

From Indian Perspective – Only 4 companies make the cut in Top 100 most innovative companies – Although there are 2 Indian companies in top 10 and 3 in Top 15.

Forbes 100 World’s Most Innovative Companies

Rank	Company	5-Year Ave. Sales Growth (%)	5-Year Avg. Net Income Growth (%)	Enterprise Value (USD Bln)	Innovation Premium
1	Salesforce.com	39.5	78.7	20.7	75.1
2	Amazon.com	32	37.6	92.7	58.9
3	Intuitive Surgical	43.4	36.4	13.4	57.6
4	Tencent Holdings	69	75.4	46.5	52.3
5	Apple	35.1	60.7	303.4	48.2
6	Hindustan Unilever	10	4	15.5	47.7
7	Google	35	37.1	138.1	44.9
8	Natura Cosméticos	17	13.5	10.2	44.5
9	Bharat Heavy Electricals	27.2	25	19.5	43.6
10	Monsanto	13.4	44.7	41.3	42.6
11	Reckitt Benckiser Group	15.1	18.6	43.4	40.6
12	Celgene	46.3	81.1	27.5	40.5
13	Nidec	5.1	5	15.2	40
14	Terumo	5.8	-0.1	10.7	38
15	Infosys	23.6	22.7	34.3	37.1
16	Pernod Ricard	14	14.9	38.5	36.6
17	Keyence	3.1	1.9	11.3	36.1
18	FMC Technologies	13.5	31.7	10.9	36
19	Starbucks	10.1	3.8	28.9	35.6
20	Nintendo	14.8	-4.6	14.3	35
21	Alcon**	10.4	17.9	–	34.9
22	Activision Blizzard	31.1	41.6	10.5	34.6
23	Beiersdorf	5.3	-0.7	12.7	34.5
24	Procter & Gamble	7.7	11	211.3	33.4
25	Essilor International	9.9	10	17.4	33.2
26	L’Oréal	6.1	2.6	74.7	33.1
27	Schlumberger	11.8	8.5	126.7	32.7
28	Ecolab	6.3	8.8	14.2	32.6
29	Alstom	9.3	21	19.3	32.5
30	ICL-Israel Chemicals	9.6	15	22	32.3
31	General Mills	5.1	10.2	30.2	32.3
32	CSL	10.1	14	17.8	32.1
33	Colgate-Palmolive	6.9	12.6	46.5	32
34	NetApp	17.3	12	15.8	31.6
35	Danone	5.5	5	57.1	31.5
36	Citrix Systems	14.7	7.5	14.7	30.4
37	Areva	-2.1	-3.4	19.1	30.3
38	Rockwell Automation	2.3	-7.5	12.5	30.3
39	Kone	9	37.2	15.5	30.1
40	China Oilfield Services	29.7	38.1	14.5	30
41	Synthes	8	11.5	19.1	29.6
42	Juniper Networks	14.5	-0.1	14.7	29.6
43	Praxair	5.1	9.6	39.6	28.8
44	Estée Lauder Cos	4.6	-1	21.1	28.4
45	Fanuc	3.2	5.8	34.8	28.3
46	Hershey	3.1	-0.5	13.4	27.2
47	Avon Products	5.7	-1.5	14.4	25.9
48	Paccar	-10	-30	21.8	25.7
49	SMC Corp	1.1	-2.2	10.9	25.5
50	PepsiCo	10.8	6.6	135.4	25.4
51	Fresenius Medical Care	10.8	15.1	29.2	25.1
52	Secom	3.2	2.8	9.4	25.1
53	Anheuser-Busch InBev	18.7	27.5	133.8	24.9
54	Adobe Systems	11.5	1.8	13.1	24.1
55	Agilent Technologies	1.4	14	15	23.9
56	HTC Corp	30.7	27.4	22.3	23.8
57	Kellogg	4.4	5.3	25.5	23.3
58	Sandvik	5.5	2	22.2	23.3
59	ASML Holding	12.3	26.8	13.2	22.7
60	Air Products & Chemicals	3.1	4.5	24	22.3
61	Qualcomm	13.8	2.1	80.4	22.3
62	Richemont (Compagnie Financière)	6.5	-3.1	30.9	22.2
63	SAP	7.9	3.9	69.1	22.1
64	Emerson Electric	3.2	4.6	44.9	22
65	Campbell Soup	2.2	3.6	13.4	22
66	Kao	4.1	-8.1	15	21.9
67	Atlas Copco	5.8	8.6	28.8	21.9
68	Danaher	9.7	11.2	37.1	21.7
69	Corning	5.9	33.7	21.9	21.4
70	Daikin Industries	7.9	-13.4	13	21.3
71	Thermo Fisher Scientific	33.3	46.6	25.5	21.2
72	Sany Heavy Industry	68.1	91.8	23.1	21.2
73	Johnson Controls	2.4	11.6	31.9	21.2
74	Unilever NV	2.2	2.4	102.9	21
75	Zoomlion Heavy Industry	58.1	71.9	11.4	20.9
76	Rolls-Royce Holdings	10.9	9	16.5	19.4
77	Oracle	17.9	17.8	147.1	19.3
78	Fresenius SE	15.2	22.9	34.7	19.2
79	Syngenta	3.5	13.2	32.4	19.1
80	LeGrand	3.7	32.8	11.7	18.9
81	Schindler Holding	-1.3	12.4	11.3	18.8
82	Kraft Foods	7.1	-3.5	89.9	18.6
83	Henkel	4.7	8.1	27.2	18.6
84	Intuit	11.4	6.7	13.9	18.2
85	Cameron International	17.6	23.3	12	18.1
86	Microsoft	9.7	8.3	186	18
87	Automatic Data Processing	8.5	11	24.5	18
88	Maroc Telecom	9	10.4	16.9	17.7
89	Precision Castparts	9.1	21.1	22	17.5
90	Air Liquide	5.3	8.5	44.7	17.4
91	Boston Scientific	3.4	–	14.9	17
92	Tenaris	1.4	-3.7	26.3	16.8
93	ABB	3.3	23.8	49.2	16.7
94	Toshiba	0.2	12	36.9	16.6
95	Stryker	9.7	14.5	20.7	16.5
96	BAE Systems	13.9	12.6	16.2	16.5
97	Halliburton	10.3	-7.3	50.6	16.1
98	CA	2.8	49.3	9.5	16.1
99	Altera	7.8	14.1	11.1	16.1
100	ConAgra Foods	4.1	13.5	13	16

 

Would love to know what are your views on this list – Do you think rankings are correct or do you think that there is some flaw in the data?