MAM
IAA Debates: Are agencies rapidly reinventing?
MUMBAI: There is need for both advertising agencies and marketers to reinvent themselves. This was the basic message from the IAA Debates held in Mumbai earlier this month.
The topic of the discussion of the second of the new season of IAA Debates was: ‘Agencies are not rapidly reinventing themselves to stay relevant to changing advertiser needs.’
At the start of the debate, the overarching view of the audience was that agencies must reinvent to stay relevant. At the end of the debate, the view moved to that agencies are reinventing themselves and indeed more relevant than the initially held view.
Speaking for the motion (‘Agencies are not reinventing themselves’) were Dentsu Aegis Network chairman & CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin and Marico chief marketing officer Sameer Satpathy.
Speaking against the motion (‘Agencies are reinventing themselves’) were Madison World MD and chairman Sam Balsara and Godrej strategic marketing group COO Shireesh Joshi.
IAA India Chapter president and IAA vice president-development, Asia Pacific Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The fact that some of the leading lights of the industry participated in the debate ensured that we had discussion of the topmost quality. By bringing in practising leaders of the industry, the IAA Debates has become a must-attend event from all section of the advertising, media and marketing fraternity.”
D B Corp chief-marketing and corporate sales officer Pradeep Dwivedi added, “We are delighted to partner IAA Debates in bringing about discussions around current, thought provoking subjects which have a bearing on the industry and our marketing, media and advertising community. As marketers figure out ways to maximise value from their agency engagements and vice versa, as was the subject of the recently concluded second debate of the season, we at Dainik Bhaskar remain committed to contribute to the spirit of discovery and discussion to help bring about change and evolution.”
The IAA Debates hosted so far have been in Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. The debates have featured senior advertising, media and marketing professionals such as Prasoon Joshi, Vikram Sakhuja, Lloyd Mathias, Josy Paul, Pratap Bose, Deepika Warrier, Anupriya Acharya, Arun Anant, Arunabh Das Sharma, Partha Sinha, Monica Tata, Vikram Chandra, Punitha Arumugam, Mahesh Murthy, Virginia Sharma, Ashok Lalla and Zerin Rahman, Sadashiv Nayak, Atul Phadnis, Ronita Mitra, and Amitabh Pande amongst others speaking for and against the motion.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
