MAM
VML Qais ups Preethi Sanjeevi to client solutions director
MUMBAI: VML Qais has promoted Preethi Sanjeevi to regional client solutions director. The role has been newly created for her to lead the business team across the APAC region and facilitate the agency’s expansion there.
Sanjeevi held the post of business director prior to this announcement.
She will be responsible for both client growth and acquisition across Asian markets. While Sanjeevi will be based out of Singapore, she will be spending a considerable part of her time in India as well to develop the business here.
Sanjeevi has spent the last decade working in the marketing communications industry with experience in both traditional advertising and online marketing across India and SEA markets. She has also worked in the field of entertainment marketing.
Sanjeevi has been with VML Qais for the past six years, during which she has led end-to-end digital consulting for clients including Changi Airport, Banyan Tree Resorts, Ministry of Defence, Dell, Revlon and Estee Lauder.
VML Qais CEO Tripti Lochan said, “Preethi has done a phenomenal job this past year – energizing, leading, and inspiring the people around her. This promotion is very well-deserved and we wish her continued success in her new role.”
Sanjeevi said, “I’m very much relishing the challenge of my new role at such exciting times for VML Qais, and the digital environment as a whole. It’s such an invigorating and energetic environment, demonstrated by how much we’ve grown already this year, both client-wise and geographically, I look forward to being an integral part of the next phase of growth.”
VML Qais, WPP’s wholly-owned pure play digital network, is headquartered in Singapore and recently launched its India operation. The agency is the Asian arm of brand consulting agency VML and was formed after it acquired Qais Consulting in February 2012.
VML Qais has a six-member team in Mumbai and is expected to set up operations in Delhi by the end of the year.
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.
