The Worlds 25 Most Innovative Companies

#1

Salesforce.com
Founder CEO: Marc Benioff Saleforce.com proudly touts its No Software mascot after essentially creating the enterprise SAAS segment. After average growth of 29% per year since 2005 its customer base is above 90,000 enterprise businesses. Its Force.com site offered the first apps for business development space, which has more than 300,000 developers after only 3 years. Salesforce.com also created Chatter, the first social network for businesses and the App Exchange, the first business app marketplace.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 75% Industry: Enterprise SAAS CRM 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 233% Significant Awards
2010 Intelligent Enterprise: Editors Choice Award (5th consecutive year) 2010 Stevie Awards: Most Innovative Company of the Year; Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year

#2

Amazon.com
Founder & CEO: Jeff Bezos Starting with an innovative online bookstore, Amazon has grown to the largest online retailer in the world. Amazons founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, encourages experimentation in his employees, and doing so led to innovations like the patented 1-Click ordering system and the category-creating Kindle e-reader. With 2 months of battery life and the ability to download books from anywhere, the Kindles success is such that there are now more e-books sold on Amazon than print books.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 59% Industry: e-Commerce & Web Services 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 219% Significant Awards
Kindle e-Reader voted 2010 CNET Editors Choice Amazon.com one of PC Mags 2010 Top 100 Websites

#3

Intuitive Surgical
CEO: Gary S. Guthart PhD The fast-growing field of minimallyinvasive surgery stalled in the 1980s due limitations on human dexterity, and robotics was the answer. Combining military telepresence technology, 3D HighDef imaging, and ultra-high precision robotic tools, Intuitive Surgical created the da Vinci Surgical System, which promoted increasingly complex minimallyinvasive surgery by filtering out human hand shakes and giving a surgeon dexterity, freedom of motion, and precision impossible for a human hand.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 58% Industry: Surgical Robotics 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 279% Significant Awards
2008-2010 Fortunes 100 Fastest Growing Companies Motley Fool Best Stock for 2011

#4

Tencent Holdings
CEO: MA, Huateng (Pony Ma) Tencents QQ instant messaging service now has more than 650 million active users and is the one of the largest online communities in the world. The internet pioneer is leading the development of micropayments in its services. While Tencents basic services are often free, users will regularly make small payments, often less than one dollar, for small upgrades to avatars and messaging environments as well as for music and games, and the results have been one of Chinas fastestgrowing and most profitable

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 52% Industry: Internet & Mobile Phone Services 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 602% Significant Awards
2011 Achievement Award of The Most Respected Companies of China Tencents QQ Free Fantasy Game won the Best Q-edition online game in 2008 by ChinaJoy Golden Ling Awards

#5

Apple
Founder & CEO: Steve Jobs Steve Jobs return to Apple in 1997 led to the creation of the iPod and iTunes, which revolutionized the way music is consumed and made Apple the largest music distributor in the world. Apple has gone on to create the iPhone, which isnt just a phone but also holds a Guiness World Record for being the worlds Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System. Apples enormously successful iPad created the tablet market as it is now known and has helped to further grow the revolutionary and oft-imitated App store.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 48% Industry: Computers, Software, Electronics 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 238% Significant Awards
iPod touch, MacBook Pro, iPad 2, iPhone all given Editors Choice awards iPhone was Times Magazines 2007 Invention of the Year

#6

Hindustan Unilever Limited

CEO: Nitin Paranjpe The Asian arm of consumerproducts giant Unilever sits at the forefront of multiple emerging markets, and is creating products that meet both the unique needs of emerging and developed market consumers. HULs award-winning Pureit Water Filter gives developing-country consumers toplevel water filtration quality without the need for electricity, heat, or pressurized water. HUL also combined soap texturizing technology with ice-cream to create an ultra-creamy texture with considerably less fat.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 48% Industry: Consumer Products 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 52% Significant Awards
2010-2011 Best Water R&D Technological Breakthrough by The Water Digest for Pureit Water Purifier CNBC 2010 Most Preferred Personal Care Company (3rd consecutive year)

#7

Google
Founder & CEO: Larry Page Google holds almost 65% of the web-search market share and has created a large portfolio of awardwinning products such as Google Docs, Gmail, Blogger, Google Earth, Google Maps, and the fastgrowing Android smartphone OS. Innovating not just in products but in business model, Googles AdWords search advertising system sets the company apart by allowing it to earn billions in revenues even after giving its products away, while competing companies still license or sell their products for a fee.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 45% Industry: Internet Software & Services 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 176% Significant Awards
PC Mags Top 100 Websites of 2010 for Google Docs 2010 Best Mobile Platform at Mashable Awards for Android mobile OS

#8

Natura
CEO: Alessandro Giuseppe Carlucci Using environmentally friendly messages and packaging and developing top quality products that meet the unique needs of its ethnically diverse client base, Natura is now the largest directsales based cosmetics company in Brazil. Naturas ability to respond to its consumer diversity comes from its lean innovation system, which uses Naturas 1.2 million sales agents to directly observe and network with consumers and developers to create an inexpensive, consistent, and quickresponding innovation pipeline.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 45% Industry: Cosmetics, Fragrances & Toiletries 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 73% Significant Awards
1st Place for Advertising Ages Worlds Hottest Brands in Brazil South America Segment Best packaging for Cosmetics and Personal Care from Brazilian Packaging Association

#9

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

Chairman: B. Prasada Rao BHEL is one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies in the world and its equipment is involved in nearly 75% of the power generation in India. Experimenting is at the core of BHEL; the company recorded nearly one patent per working day in 2010. BHEL is currently leading innovation in some of the largest equipment in the world, and is also researching future technology like fuel cells, superconductivity and Thin-Film Solar Cells.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 44% Industry: Engineering & Manufacturing 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 135% Significant Awards
2009-2010 SCOPE Meritorious Award for R&D, Technology Development and Innovation 2010 CII-Thompson Reuters Innovation Award in Hi-tech Corporate category

#10

Monsanto
CEO: Hugh Grant Working to create solutions for feeding a rapidly growing global population, Monsanto is finding new solutions for growing and protecting crops. Not only is it the developer of protection products like Roundup, but Monsanto uses a molecular breeding platform to conduct highly accurate virtual experiments by tracking terabytes of plant and seed data. Using this platform Monsanto has reduced the time to develop innovative diseaseresistant seeds with higher nutrition levels to a fraction of the time it normally would take.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 43% Industry: Seeds & Crop Protection 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 49% Significant Awards
Hugh Grant named 2010 CEO of the Year by Chief Executive magazine 2009 Company of the Year by Forbes Magazine for economic success and product innovation

#11

Reckitt Benckiser
CEO: Bart Becht Reckitt Benckiser is the worlds fastest growing company in household cleaning, health, and consumer care. The company systematized innovation with its RB-IdeaLink innovation network, and is so productive that a new product formula is developed every eight hours. Reckitt Benckiser has taken innovation outside of its walls by entering consumers homes to observe them using products, and encourages entrepreneurs to network with the company by giving decisions on licensing in less than three months.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 41% Industry: Consumer Products 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 72% Significant Awards
2011 Best Product of the Year in Consumer Survey of Product Innovation for Finish Quantum 2011 Which? Best Buy Award for Finish QuantuMatic

#12

Celgene
CEO: Robert J. Hugin Celgene came into its own when it successfully applied Thalidomide, previously scorned for causing birth defects, in cancer treatment. Celgene develops cutting-edge treatments for cancer and inflammatory disease by systemizing pharmaceutical innovation in cancer and disease targeting platforms as well as drugdiscovery technology. These platforms drive pharmaceutical innovations such as THALOMID and REVLIMID from discovery, through R&D and on to production faster than Celgenes competitors.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 40% Industry: Biopharmaceuticals 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 303% Significant Awards
Stock was The Street Top Pick for 2nd half of 2010

#13

Nidec Corp.
CEO: Shigenobu Nagamori Nidec Corporation is an electronics manufacturer that created the brushless DC motor, and its precision drive technology facilitated the miniaturization of computer hard drives. Innovations in the drive technology have lowered weight, reduced power use, increased capability and resultantly expanded the uses for the technology far beyond its original hard drive implementation to that of small fans, consumer electronics and now even systems in automobiles.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 40% Industry: Drives & Motors 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 13% Significant Awards
2006 [Michael] Porter Prize for innovation from Hitotsubashi Graduate School ICS

#14

Terumo Corp.
President: Yutaro Shintaku Terumo corporation began 90 years ago producing thermometers and is now the leading Japanese medical device and equipment manufacturer. Terumo has many innovation success stories including mass-produced prefilled syringes and a disposable endoscopic guidewire. Terumos Chisato Nojiri also spearheaded the development of the DuraHeart LVAS, which, when transplants are impossible, has replaced failing hearts so successfully that some patients have lived with the DuraHeart for more than four

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 38% Industry: Medical Products & Equipment 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 28% Significant Awards
2010 Spotlight on Service Management Innovation Award by Single Source Systems at Chief Service Officers Summit Chief Medical Officer, Chisato Nojiri, awarded Nikkei Innovator Award and Technology Award for DuraHeart

#15

Infosys Tech. Ltd.

CEO: Senapathy Gopalakrishnan Infosys is at the forefront of innovation in cloud computing and IT services consulting and outsourcing. Infosys has created innovative products of its own, and it is driving global innovation by enabling co-creation in teamsourced innovation amongst its global client base. Infosys is innovating how businesses innovate. Not only is the company facilitating client innovation, but it created Infosys Labs, a dedicated research and innovation facility to further create new solutions for fostering client innovation.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 37% Industry: IT Services & Consulting 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 98% Significant Awards
2010 Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) award 2010 Best IT Service Management (ITSM) Project of the Year by itSMF Australia

#16

Pernod Ricard
CEO: Pierre Pringuet Amongst producers of wines, spirits and liqueurs, Pernod Ricard is setting the bar for innovation in branding. Pernod Ricards emphasis is on the premiumisation of its brands by marketing its products as art. It is networking with external designers such as Jean Nouvel and Christian Lacroix, and the release of the redesigned Ricard bottle was turned into an art exhibition at the La Maison Rouge art gallery in Paris. To increase responsiveness, Pernod Ricard pushed observation and experimentation to the

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 37% Industry: Distilled Beverages 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 17% Significant Awards
Received four Double Gold and another Gold medal at 2011 San Fransisco World Spirit Competition. 2010 Oracle Business Intelligence and Enterprise Performance Management Innovation Award

#17

Keyence Corp.
President: Michio Sasaki Keyence is the leading supplier of sensors and measuring instruments for factory automation. Keyence is a direct sales driven organization. It requires that 25% of annual sales come from new products. Keyence encourages its sales personnel to not only drive product sales with on-site demonstrations, but to simultaneously spend considerable time observing the customers systems and equipment for innovation opportunities that solves customer problems.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 36% Industry: Automation Sensors 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 1.1% Significant Awards
2010 R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine for VHX-1000 Digital Microscope 2010 Laboratory Equipment Readers Choice Award for VHX-1000 Digital Microscope

#18

FMC Technologies
CEO: John T. Gremp FMC Technologies is leading the development of technology for the global energy industry. FMCs subsea gas-liquid separation technology allows far more efficient subsea collection and led the company to record-breaking deepwater projects and the largest contracts in the industry. In 2010 FMCs Through Tubing Rotary Drilling (TTRD) technology made it possible for subsea well operators to drastically reduce time and cost of drilling by sidetracking to new reservoirs through an existing production well.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 36% Industry: Oil & Gas 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 42% Significant Awards
ONS 2010 Innovation Award at the ONS global oil & energy conference 2010 Spotlight on New Technology Award by the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)

#19

Starbucks
CEO: Howard Schultz Starbucks has made gourmet coffee available on nearly every street corner, and the company continues to reinvent the way that coffee is produced for the masses. Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is the only instant coffee in the world to use microgrinding, which is a process that preserves essential oils and flavor. The coffee maker inspired the Karma Cup, a rewards-for-use reusable coffee cup. Starbucks also used social networking to promote a rewards card that friends could share and will soon allow them to reload as

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 36% Industry: Gourmet Coffee 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 52% Significant Awards
Fortune Most Admired Companies in America 7 years in a row BusinessWeek 100 Best Global Brands 8 years in a row

#20

Nintendo
CEO: Satoru Iwata The release of Nintendos NES system in 1985 is widely credited for saving the video game industry. Since then Nintendos systems and games have consistently been industry-defining. Nintendo invented the side-scroller game with Super Mario Bros., brought 3D to portable games with the 3DS, and redefined how users interact with video games with Wii motion controller system. In 2011 Nintendo introduced the ground-breaking Wii U, which allows users to see integrated content on their TV and controller at the same time.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 35% Industry: Video Games Equipment & Software 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 182% Significant Awards
Game Controller Innovation Emmy from Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 2010 Best of Show award at Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3)

#21

Alcon
Division Head: Kevin Buehler Alcon is one of the largest vision care companies in the world. Alcons research focuses on everything from dry eyes to eye disease to finding a cure for blindness. Alcon networks with 35 academic institutions and many pharmaceutical companies and also looks to a global R&D team of 2,000 researchers to generate innovations such as AcrySof the first multifocal intraocular lens for cataract patients. Since 1984 Alcon has offered its Technical Excellence Award for employee R&D advancement.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 35% Industry: Surgical & Pharmaceutical Vision Care S i g5 Yearn Increase In Revenue: 47% nifica t Awards
Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 11 years in a row Great Place to Work Institute's Innovation Award

#22

Activision Blizzard
CEO: Robert Kotick Activision and Vivendi games merged in late 2007 to create one of the largest video game publishers in the world. Activision Blizzards Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which combined RPG game features with a shooter, and World of Warcraft, which reinvented the MMORPG genre were both listed in GamerPros Top 20 Most Innovative Games of All Time. Consumers excitement for the unique gameplay features in the 2010 release of Starcraft II made it the fastest-selling strategy video game of all time.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 35% Industry: Video Games Software 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 70% Significant Awards
2011 Lumiere Award from International 3D Society to Call of Duty Black Ops for Outstanding Achievement in 3D 2010 Best Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game from IGN to World of Warcraft

#23

Beiersdorf
CEO: Thomas-Bernd Quaas Beiersdorf is a global leader in skincare products with familiar brands like Nivea and Eucerin. Its R&D center, which is one of the largest in the world, is uniquely modeled after a skin cell, and Beiersdorf brings more than 6,000 volunteers yearly into the center for experimentation and observation activities. Among the 200-250 products Beiersdorf releases every year are its Hansiplast transparent invisible-film bandages and the worlds first 48-hour rated antiperspirant & deodorant combo by Nivea.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 35% Industry: Consumer Skincare Products 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 21% Significant Awards
2010 Best Body Breakthroughs Fitness Beauty Award for Eucerin Skin Balance Hand Crme 2008 Technology Management Award by Frauhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT)

#24

P&G
CEO: Bob McDonald In order to keep its portfolio of brands fresh, P&G is constantly releasing innovative products. P&Gs Connect & Develop program for networking with external partners is responsible for 50% of the product initiatives at P&G and more than 35% of the new products released. Not only that but the Connect & Develop program double the rate of success for new products, which include Crest Whitestrips, Swiffer Dusters, and the worlds top-selling skin cream Olay Regenerist.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 33% Industry: Consumer Products 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 23% Significant Awards
2010 Gold & Silver Best New Product Edison Award for Consumer Packaged Goods Personal Care Segment innovation 3rd on Barrons 2010 Worlds Most Respected Companies

#25

Essilor
President: Hubert Sagnires Manufacturing 240 million optical lenses in 2010, Essilor leads the world in lens development and innovation for multiple eye disorders. In the last few years Essilor has pushed its three R&D centers located across the globe to increase product innovation and development, which resulted in an increase in new products of 300%. The innovation drive led to breakthrough products like the Verilux Ipseo New Edition lenses, which include a patented image stabilization system to improve image clarity during movement.

Fast Facts Innovation Premium: 33% Industry: Eyeglass Lenses 5 Year Increase In Revenue: 45% Significant Awards
Two Silmo dOr awards for Varilux Ipseo New Edition and Essibox at Silmo Paris trade show