MAM
Hero comes on board as title sponsor of Olympics’ hockey qualifiers
MUMBAI: Two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp Ltd (formerly Hero Honda) has renewed its commitment towards national sport Hockey by coming on board as the title sponsor of the upcoming men‘s and women‘s Olympic qualifying tournament for 2012 London Olympics.
The deal was brokered by Commune Sports & Entertainmen, the commercial representative of FIH in India.
Titled as ‘Hero FIH Road to London’, the event is first of the three leg Olympic qualifying events for the London Olympic Games scheduled for July this year and will be played at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey National Stadium in New Delhi from February 18-26.
The event will feature six teams from both men’s and women’s category competing against each other in a round robin format for two Olympic berths out of the six berths available (1 of 3 men’s and 1 of 3 women’s) in the 2012 London Olympics.
The tournament holds great importance for the Indian men’s and women’s hockey team as this will be their only window to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Following the round robin league, the teams ranked first and second will play and the winner will qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games, while the remaining four teams will play placement games for FIH World Ranking points.
Commenting on the partnership, Hero MotoCorp MD & CEO Pawan Munjal said, “Hockey, being the national sport of the country, holds a special place in our hearts and we are pleased to partner with FIH in presenting the “Hero FIH Road to London” Olympic Hockey Qualifiers. We have always believed in nurturing and supporting various sporting disciplines including cricket, golf, shooting and hockey.”
The India leg of the Hero FIH Road to London Olympic qualifiers will feature the men’s national field hockey teams from India, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Canada and France. The Indian National women’s hockey team will play against South Africa, Canada, Italy, Poland and Ukraine.
The tournament will be aired on Ten Sports.
In 2010, Hero MotoCorp started its partnership with FIH, by bringing the coveted men’s hockey World Cup event to India, titled “Hero Honda FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2010”. The company executed a multi media campaign, “Phir Dil Do Hockey Ko” featuring Hero brand ambassadors – cricketer Virender Sehwag, Olympic silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and popular Hindi movie actor Priyanka Chopra.
Further aligning with the company’s objective of long-term promotion of the game at the grassroots level, Hero MotoCorp also organised pan-India inter-school hockey tournaments.
Speaking on the partnership, FIH partnership Leandro Negre said, “Hero are ideal partners for hockey and FIH in that they really help us promote the event and hockey in India. Their promotion for the FIH Hockey World Cup in 2010 was fundamental in leading to a renaissance of hockey enthusiasm in India and we hope that the Hero FIH Road to London will build on that.”
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.
