PRESS RELEASE
When Life Gets Hard, One Company Chose Not to Look Away ITW First HOPE
ITW Universe launches HOPE, a quiet support system for employees, families, partners and clients. Shah Rukh Khan, Bobby Deol and Elon Musk were invited to the formal launch.
India | 30 October 2026: Most companies measure loyalty through appraisals, retention numbers and exit interviews. ITW Universe has taken a quieter route.
The group has activated ITW First HOPE, a support framework built around a single idea: when someone connected to the company faces personal hardship, the organisation should not look away. The framework is intended for employees and their families, as well as business partners and clients, during moments of medical crisis, loss or other private difficulty.
To mark the formal launch on 29 October 2026, ITW Universe extended invitations to Shah Rukh Khan, Bobby Deol and Elon Musk. The invitations were intended as a statement of intent that the idea behind HOPE is not confined to internal policy, but one the company believes is worth wider attention.
HOPE is not structured as a CSR programme, nor is it presented as an employee benefit package. Those involved describe it as an internal commitment rather than a public campaign. Assistance, when given, is meant to be discreet and free of any transactional expectation.
The initiative’s informal motto, coined by founder Bhairav Shanth, is deliberately plain:
“Not a bank. Just kind.”
That line, those close to the project say, is meant to keep the effort grounded. HOPE is not a financial institution. It is an attempt to respond to human need without turning it into process for its own sake.
A Wider Circle of Care
While employees remain central, the design of HOPE deliberately includes business partners and clients and their families. The thinking, according to those involved, is that professional relationships are not purely transactional. When difficulty arrives, the response should not be limited by job titles or contractual status.
Requests will be reviewed by an internal HOPE Committee chaired by Prof. Prashantho Banerji. The committee’s role is to weigh individual circumstances while protecting privacy and ensuring decisions remain responsible. Those familiar with the structure describe it as an attempt to hold two principles together: compassion and accountability.
Eligibility criteria and operating procedures are still being refined through internal consultation. The company has said further details will be shared once the framework is fully settled.
The Thinking Behind It
Corporate language around culture, wellness and belonging has grown louder in recent years. Much of it, critics note, tends to thin out when personal crisis arrives. HOPE appears to be an effort to test whether that language can be made more concrete.
It does not promise unlimited resources. What it offers, according to the company, is the assurance that a person connected to ITW Universe will not face a hard moment entirely alone. The distinction, those involved insist, matters.
Bhairav Shanth put it simply:
“Our people give a lot to this company. HOPE is how we try to give something back when it matters most. It’s not a bank. It’s just kind.”
— Bhairav Shanth, Founder, ITW Universe
What Comes Next
ITW First HOPE is now operational in principle. The practical details how requests are assessed, what forms of support can be offered, and how privacy is protected continue to be shaped by experience inside the organisation.
The company has indicated it does not intend to turn the initiative into a high-visibility campaign. The more meaningful measure, those close to it say, will be quieter: whether people inside and around ITW Universe feel less alone when difficulty arrives.
In a business environment that often rewards what can be measured on a dashboard, the decision to build something harder to quantify stands out. Whether HOPE succeeds will depend less on announcement and more on what happens when it is needed.
About ITW Universe
ITW Universe is a group of technology, media and consulting businesses founded by Bhairav Shanth. Its ITW First philosophy places people, relationships and shared responsibility at the centre of how the organisation operates.