The Conglomerate was an Earth-based intergalactic corporation, a business empire and a self-perpetuating causal loop created by Cuthbert, himself a self-perpetuating causal loop. It was responsible for providing healthcare, education, and infrastructure, creating trade treaties that prevented intergalactic wars. The Black Guardian explained that the Conglomerate was so entangled in galactic events, its removal from history would cause inestimable chaos and tear the balance of reality apart. (AUDIO: Casualties of Time)
When the Fourth Doctor and Romana I encountered it, the CEO was Cuthbert. They were conducting an experiment on widening the dimensional tear in the Proxima System. (AUDIO: The Dalek Contract)
The Daleks wanted to take advantage of the Quantum Gateway that was created for the "conquest of infinity". The Doctor and Romana stopped them and closed the Gateway. (AUDIO: The Final Phase)
When the Laan were diverted to the Earth by the Gateway, the Conglomerate tried to destroy them. The Doctor and Romana were able to convince the Laan to leave Earth before that happened. (AUDIO: The Sands of Life, AUDIO: War Against the Laan)
In 2071, the Conglomerate provided foodstuffs to ten thousand people in the Asiatic States who were starving as a result of a war with the Ocean States. (AUDIO: Casualties of Time)
Behind the scenes[]
Cuthbert and the Conglomerate originated in the Audio Visuals Conglomerate stories.[1]