Amit Gupta, a third-generation entrepreneur, is singularly credited for making CICO brand synonymous with the Construction Chemicals in the country. Even though CICO has decades of experience in the business, Mr. Gupta has been responsible for its unprecedented growth in recent years. He converted what was a family-run enterprise till the turn of the last century into a professionally managed organization ready to take the challenges of tomorrow.

Mr. Gupta has not only comprehensively expanded the product category of CICO by almost 40 percent, but also further improved the range keeping in mind the market potential. In addition to the traditional offerings from CICO's basket, the range has been extended to Protective & Anti-corrosive Coatings, Protective Coatings for Wood, Capsules for Anchoring/Bolting, Insulation Products, New-generation Sealants, Industrial Flooring and Specialty Adhesives.

Under his stewardship, the company also began to foray into the international markets - with a presence in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Maldives. He is currently executing a major plan for overseas presence under which a joint venture is being set up with Aljabor Trading of Qatar for a manufacturing unit in Doha. The objective of this venture is to target not only the growing market in West Asia, but also to spread the reach to the East African countries.

Mr. Gupta also executed some innovative financial restructuring, which has seen the company grow from a turnover of Rs. 113 million in 2000-1 to Rs. Rs.400 million today, with a target of Rs.520 million over the next two years.

His other initiatives include taking the Construction Chemicals business - otherwise a wholesale and project contract-oriented one - to the retail, an off-the-shelf module with a nationwide network of distributors. His latest initiative is in the area of e-commerce via the internet to enable interactive marketing and customer feedback by a mere click of the button.

A trendsetter in many ways, he also applied for the 9001 Series certification as per the norms set by the International Standards Organisation, which was unheard of in the Construction Chemicals industry.

Research and Development has been another area of focus for him. Even though CICO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED has technical collaborations with some of the best-known names in the globe, the company has been innovative enough to develop global technologies to suit the specific needs of the domestic market and weather conditions.

Mr. Gupta has been nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award is also a National Council member of the Construction Federation of India, the prime body of the construction industry.

He secured a PGDM and a Master's degree in Economics from the Jadavpur University in Kolkata, and started his career with Siemens India Limited in 1978 with job responsibilities that spanned areas such as finance, production, operations and marketing. Mr. Gupta learnt the professional aspects of a business at Siemens. He joined the CICO group in 1980 and implemented innovative aspects to the family business that saw a manifold growth.

In 2000, realizing the importance of professionalism, he reorganized the family business with only the brands CICO and TAPECRETE to form CICO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED.

VISION

We at CICO have been successful in converting our legacy into a stepping-stone for entering into the new millennium. The result is CICO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED; a young and responsive organization prepared to take the Construction Chemical technology, products, services and solutions to the customer's doorstep. We have accomplished this task through our team of professionals who are committed, efficient and proficient and indeed clearly the business leaders.

Construction Chemical Industry has traditionally been focused largely on projects and "after construction problems" involving high-end engineering skills. Presently this industry is being viewed as a "sunrise industry" as efforts are on the anvil to take the products, systems and the services to the market place. The process of converting various specialty products into "over the trade counter"(OTC) products is bound to enable this industry to look beyond the horizons in terms of sales and services. Imparting product knowledge, skills and services, as an integral part of this business continue to be the main strength of future business approach.

Our past successes and achievements have brought us the recognition and repute which has established CTL's leadership. With ACTIS as our equity partners we are confident of breaking further international barriers and taking ourselves to newer areas of development both at home and abroad.

It shall be our endeavor to make CICO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED a benchmark in customer care and the last word in Construction Chemicals and services.