MAM
Madhukar Sabnavis on O&M’s worldwide board
MUMBAI: There seems to be an injection of Indian blood in the senior leadership team of global agencies. Last year, Vikram Sakuja 
became Maxus global CEO and McCann‘s Prasoon Joshi entered the Commonwealth board that was created to service the GM Chevy account. Now Ogilvy & Mather has named 12 new members on its worldwide board, one of them being O&M India vice chairman and country head, discovery and planning Madhukar Sabnavis.
WPP’s global creative agency network announced that Carla Hendra will take over as the vice chairman of its Worldwide Board.
The other new members on the board include Nelly Andersen, Executive Vice President of Global Brands, OgilvyOne Worldwide, Lou Aversano, Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy East, Brandon Berger, Worldwide Chief Digital Officer, Shenan Chuang, CEO of O&M Greater China, Annette King, CEO of OgilvyOne EAME and Chairman of OgilvyOne London, Paul Matheson, Regional President Strategy and Planning of O&M Asia Pacific, Jaime Prieto, President of Global Brand Management, Ben Richards, Worldwide Head of Integrated Strategy, Gunther Schumacher, Worldwide Chief Operating Officer of OgilvyOne Worldwide, Steve Simpson, Chief Creative Officer of O&M North America and Paul Smith, Regional Creative Director EAME.
O&M board chairman and CEO Miles Young remarked, “These additions represent a wonderful range of our key talent and inject a significant infusion of new blood. Our Board will now be significantly more diverse, and I believe, will be reflective of and useful for many of the debates about content which need to happen at the heart of our business. I am so very pleased to announce that Carla has been elected to the role of Vice Chairman. Carla’s contribution over the years has been enormous, not least recently as the founder and driver of OgilvyRED. As our Board continues to grow, we will need someone with Carla’s laser focus and drive to help harness the diverse talents and viewpoints within our Board to the advantage of the entire agency.”
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
