MAM
Sercon 141 ups Rajesh Ghatge to CEO
MUMBAI: Bates 141 has promoted Rajesh Ghatge as the chief executive officer of its specialised “below the line” marketing services agency, 141 Sercon.
Ghatge was formerly the executive director and COO at 141 Sercon.
In addition, Ghatge is also appointed to the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Bates India Group. The Board is headed by Group CEO Sandeep Pathak and includes India chairman and regional ECD Sonal Dabral, regional planning director Dheeraj Sinha, 141 Wallstreet VP Praveen Vadhera and finance director Dinesh Shetty.
In his new role as the CEO, Ghatge will build on the agency‘s expertise in “intelligent activation” – solutions which engage consumers across touch points and enable them to experience brands, products and services. With the use of proprietary tools and technology, the agency is able to deliver large scale, ROI-driven activations for B2B and B2C clients across Asia.
Ghatge co-founded Sercon in 1996, which was later acquired by Bates in 2007. He was instrumental in leading Sercon to become one of India‘s largest activation and marketing services agencies with a footprint across India and Southeast Asia.
Ghatge has more than 15 years of experience in planning, creative and execution of regional and local campaigns for leading brands including Bausch & Lomb, Carlsberg, Castrol, Nokia, Oracle, Shriram Life Insurance and Sun Microsystems.
Pathak said, “Since Sercon joined the Bates family, it has played a very strategic role. Together with our advertising and design units, and out-of-home and retail offering, we have the full capability to help our clients drive maximum engagement, by getting brands to become the subject of new conversations.”
Ghatge added, “Rapid change is happening constantly and all around us in. Clients want to understand changes in consumer‘s media and shopping habits and what are the implications for engaging them effectively. I look forward to working closely with the Bates regional and local leadership teams to grow our expertise, so that we can deliver more innovative and effective solutions for our clients, and bring people closer to brands.”
Dabral stated, “Rajesh has been key to driving Sercon to become one of the top ranking activation agencies in India and Southeast Asia. Rajesh will continue to grow our specialized skills and solutions for India and regional clients by helping them to better engage consumers, generate demand and influence preference.”
In India, the Bates operations spans Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, and includes the largest retail and OOH network in India across 20 states and into 400 rural towns. It offers full integrated disciplines – brand strategy, advertising, design, outdoor/OOH, retail, B2B and B2C activation, digital, CRM and event management.
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.
