MAM
4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry
MUMBAI: The 4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards was a glorious affair where the who’s who of the marketing, advertising and media industry got together to facilitate the best work amongst their peers and recognise the stalwarts who are leading their teams best in this dynamic ecosystem. Union Minister of States of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest and presented the awards to the best creative minds.
The evening also lent itself to many learnings and forward thinking discussions for the industry at large. Viacom 18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats in his opening address defined the three ‘I’s and an ‘A’ as ‘ Inference’, ‘influence’, ‘intuition’ and ‘agility’. Elucidating, Vats said a great leader must infer from the emerging trends that he sees around, must take his contacts and networking seriously and be ready to influence with the resources he has at his disposal, be intuitive with the current changing dynamics and be able to translate his judgement into action quickly.
Speaking on the occasion, IAA’s India Chapter president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards are testimony of the inspirational work that industry leaders and creative minds accomplish during the course of the year. Today, we are celebrating the extraordinary work and journey of the industry at large from the year gone by. The campaigns have achieved much success in the brand’s positioning and perception. I congratulate the winners and hope to see such incredible work for years to come.”
Seconding him, IAA Leadership Awards committee chairman Sam Balsara said, “This year, at the 4th IAA Leadership Awards, we have seen some tough competition that has been carried out by teams across industries. The decision-making process has been robust and after deep deliberation, we have finally arrived on the list of winners who have been honoured today. As the evening draws to a close, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and look forward to some great work from them in coming years”.
While Aditya Birla Group CEO Kumar Mangalam Birla took away the CEO of the Year award, ICICI Prudential digital business and marketing EVP and head Manish Dubey, Hindustan Unilever;s Samir Singh, Lenovo marketing director Bhaskar Choudhuri and Maruti Suzuki’s Randhir Singh Kalsi were amongst the few who won the much coveted The Marketer of the Year Awards that were given away in 14 categories. Birla credited his win to his impeccable team which is forward thinking and intuitive to the market changes.
Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin was awarded with The Media Agency Head of the Year Award. Sharing his joy for being acknowledged for the hard work, Bhasin added, “As late entrants in the industry, it gives me immense joy and pride in the organization’s efforts. We sort of challenged the market with a target to be the second best in the field by 2017. Acknowledgements such as this from such a well recognised body makes me feel that we are on the right track and gives us the confidence to move forward.”
Upon bagging the Creative Agency Head of The Year, BBDO India chairman and CCO, Josy Paul said, “”This is not just a leadership award, it’s a leadership ‘team’ award. I am receiving it on behalf of my partner Ajai Jhala and the amazing leaders at BBDO India who create the outstanding work that gives me this moment of glory. I share it with them. I’m nothing without them.”
In television, Colors CEO Raj Nayak was awarded the Media Person of the year, while India TV chairman and editor in chief Rajat Sharma was recognised as the Television Anchor of the Year. In the special categories, Bharat Patel was included in the Hall of Fame, while actor Varun Dhawan was awarded as the Brand Endorser of The Year.
The 4th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards recognized the achievements of diverse groups of individuals for their incredible contribution in designing path-breaking and high impact marketing initiatives to strengthen their respective brand’s promise and standing amongst consumers.
Congratulating the winners, Rijiju said, “I am impressed with how the evening and awards have been conceived. IAA is an important body when it comes to championing the marketers. As India is taking its rightful place in the world, the marketing and advertising world is catapulting India even faster. A decade ago, we used to have respect but we were never perceived as leaders. However, today, we receive tremendous recognition abroad. We have begun recognising our leaders – news is getting anchor-specific and editor-centric. Even Narendra Modi is a brand! This is the moment that belongs to India.”
Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Winner List for the 4th Edition of the IAA Leadership Awards |
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CATEGORY NAME |
WINNER NAME |
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Marketer of the Year – Banking |
Karthi Marshan, Kotak Mahindra Bank |
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Marketer of the Year – Insurance |
Manish Dubey, ICICI Prudential |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Food |
Varun Berry, Britannia |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Beverage |
Nadia Chauhan, Parle Agro |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Home Care |
Ajay Dang, Godrej |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Personal Care |
Samir Singh, Hindustan Unilever |
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Marketer of the Year – Auto: Two-Wheelers |
Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter |
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Marketer of the Year – Auto: Passenger Vehicles |
Randhir Singh Kalsi, Maruti Suzuki |
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Marketer of the Year – Consumer Durables |
Ranjivjit Singh, Samsung |
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Marketer of the Year – Mobile Devices |
Bhaskar Choudhari, Lenovo |
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Marketer of the Year – Mobile Services |
Srinivasan Gopalan, Bharti Airtel |
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Marketer of the Year – E-Commerce |
Amit Agarwal, Amazon |
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Marketer of the Year – Home Improvement |
Amit Syngle, Asian Paints |
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Marketer of the Year – Retail |
Sanjay Behl, Raymond |
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CEO of the Year |
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group |
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Media Person of the Year |
Raj Nayak, COLORS |
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Television Anchor of the Year |
Rajat Sharma, India TV |
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News Editor of the Year |
Sanjay Gupta, Dainik Jagran |
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Media Agency Head of the Year |
Ashish Bhasin, Dentsu |
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Creative Agency Head of the Year |
Josy Paul, BBDO |
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Hall of Fame |
Bharat Patel |
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Brand Endorser of the Year |
Varun Dhawan |
Brands
Lotus Chocolate FY26 profit drops sharply, Q4 slips into loss
Revenue steady at Rs 579.55 crore, Q4 loss at Rs 4.47 crore
MUMBAI: Sweet on the top line, slightly bitter on the bottom Lotus Chocolate’s FY26 numbers tell a story that’s more dark cocoa than milk. The company managed to hold its revenue steady for the year, but profitability took a visible hit, capped by a loss-making fourth quarter. Lotus Chocolate Company Limited reported revenue from operations of Rs 579.55 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marginally up from Rs 573.75 crore in FY25. Total income rose to Rs 615.61 crore, compared with Rs 574.56 crore in the previous year, supported by a sharp jump in other income to Rs 36.06 crore from just Rs 0.81 crore.
However, the gains at the top did little to cushion profitability. Net profit for FY26 fell dramatically to Rs 0.10 crore, down from Rs 17.23 crore in FY25, reflecting significant cost pressures across the business.
The March quarter proved particularly challenging. The company reported a net loss of Rs 4.47 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with a profit of Rs 0.14 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 1.42 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 138.01 crore, down from Rs 150.21 crore in Q3 FY26 and Rs 157.52 crore in Q4 FY25.
Expenses remained elevated throughout the year. Total expenses rose to Rs 614.44 crore in FY26 from Rs 551.50 crore in FY25, eating into margins. A key swing factor was the cost of materials consumed, which stood at Rs 304.44 crore, while changes in inventories also reflected volatility, with a negative impact of Rs 62.44 crore in the previous year reversing to a positive Rs 52.93 crore this year.
Employee benefit expenses nearly doubled to Rs 34.00 crore from Rs 17.98 crore, while finance costs surged to Rs 16.31 crore from Rs 7.11 crore, indicating higher borrowing and funding costs. Depreciation and amortisation expenses also increased to Rs 3.92 crore from Rs 1.81 crore, reflecting ongoing investments.
On the balance sheet front, total assets stood at Rs 275.96 crore as of March 31, 2026, slightly higher than Rs 270.34 crore a year earlier. Borrowings remained significant, with current borrowings at Rs 89.00 crore, highlighting continued reliance on external funding.
Cash flow dynamics showed improvement in operations, with net cash generated from operating activities at Rs 93.23 crore, compared with a negative Rs 129.60 crore in FY25. However, financing outflows remained high at Rs 74.90 crore, driven largely by repayment of borrowings and interest costs.
Despite stable revenue, the sharp drop in profitability underscores the pressure of rising input costs, higher finance expenses and operational adjustments. The contrast between steady sales and squeezed margins leaves Lotus Chocolate at a crossroads proving that in business, as in confectionery, the real test isn’t just in the sweetness of sales, but in the richness of returns.
