MAM
Johan Boserup named Global CEO GroupM Trading
MUMBAI: WPP‘s media agency network GroupM has brought on board Omnicom‘s Johan Boserup to lead the Global Trading discipline as GroupM Trading global CEO. He will join in the first half of 2013, and will be based in London.
Boresup will report into Juergen Blomenkamp, a member of the global executive committee, and global president Dominic Proctor.
Blomenkamp said, “I am thrilled that Johan is joining GroupM. We will work together to strengthen the existing strategy and direction for GroupM Trading, and to build on our current success to create even better results for our clients in the future.”
Boserup has spent 17 years with Omnicom Media Group and was serving as the worldwide chief trading and accountability officer for the past five years. He was responsible for media buying across the group. Alongside his trading experience, he also has a background in digital media.
“Over the last couple of years we have successfully established robust global trading organizations in each of the agencies. In his new role Johan will be tasked with bringing the media trading discipline even closer together across the group,”Blomenkamp added.
Boserup will be responsible for accelerating the leverage of GroupM‘s market leading scale to create opportunities across the four agency networks within the group. He will continue to drive new media trading models to generate even more value for our clients.
Boserup said, “In media trading, scale will always be important and in that respect GroupM can offer its clients something that other agency groups can‘t. As a competitor I have seen GroupM prove again and again to be capable of great things and I am thoroughly looking forward to becoming part of that success. I remain humble to the challenge, but I have already identified areas that I will be working on with the teams and I am confident we will be able to deliver significant incremental value to GroupM‘s clients.”
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.
