MAM
Havas’ revenue for first half of 2005 declines 6 %
MUMBAI: Global advertising and communications services group Havas has announced that revenue amounts to € 700 million for the first half of 2005 compared to € 748 million for the first of 2004, a decrease of 6.4 per cent,
Net income reached € 34 million, up 52 per cent on the first half of 2004. The profit increase had been expected, and was attributed to an overall reduction in operating expenses achieved by the December 2004 repurchase of bonds following a rights issue last October.
Key accounts won in the first half-year included Diesel’s global account, Jaguar, ESPN Mobile and Lukoil in the US, LG Electronics (pan-European account). The ad accounts bagged included RadioShack, Sony Electronics and CareFirst in the USA, Afflelou, Champion, Cacharel Parfums, Tac O Tac and le Transilien (SNCF) in France, News
Corp in Great Britain, Sogecable in Spain.
Media accounts bagged included AutoZone and Amica Insurance in the USA, P&O Ferries in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium, Peugeot in the Netherlands and Belgium. It got the marketing services of Heineken, Danone (CRM) and the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.
Among the accounts lost were Intel and Volkswagen Media in the USA during the first quarter and Nikon (marketing services), Amgen and Spiriva (Boehringer and Pfizer) in the healthcare sector in the second quarter of 2005. Moreover, it was recently announced that the Volkswagen creative account in the US held by
Arnold was lost to a local American agency.
The Havas board of directors considers that this beginning of the Group’s recovery must be
pursued and amplified. The Group’s results need to be significantly improved by a combination of revenue growth translating into increased market share, with a substantial rise in profitability. The Board of Directors has confidence in the proven ability of Havas’ teams to rise to all these challenges.
Brands
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail reshuffles top deck; Nikhil Modha to take over as CFO
Phased transition sees Marco Agnolin head OWND!, Nikhil Modha lined up as CFO as company readies next growth leg
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is redrawing its leadership map, lining up a new generation of executives across key roles as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company has named Suraj Bahirwani as chief executive (designate) of Pantaloons, effective April 1, 2026, with a full transition to the top role slated for October 1, 2026. He will also be designated as senior managerial personnel.
A two-decade veteran of the Aditya Birla Group, Bahirwani joined as a group management trainee in 2002 and has since held a string of leadership roles across retail and manufacturing. His resume spans stints at Aditya Birla Retail, a tenure as chief operating officer of Pantaloons, and most recently, head of global sales at the group’s cellulosic fibres business, where he drove international expansion and strengthened value-added portfolios.
Academically, he holds a PhD from the University of Mumbai, a postgraduate management diploma from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is a chartered accountant. Over the years, he has picked up multiple chairman’s awards, including distinguished achiever, exceptional contributor and accomplished leader.
The transition at Pantaloons will be staged. Incumbent chief executive Sangeeta Tanwani will continue until September 30, 2026, steering the handover before moving into an advisory role to the managing director from October 1, 2026. She is set to retire on January 31, 2027, at which point she will step down as whole-time director and key managerial personnel.
Alongside, the company has brought in Marco Agnolin as chief executive of OWND! and senior managerial personnel, effective April 6, 2026. Agnolin arrives with over three decades of global experience, having held senior roles at Inditex, where he helped expand Zara in Italy, and later served as chief executive of Bershka and Diesel. His track record spans fast fashion, brand turnarounds and youth-focused retail.
On the finance side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed chief financial officer (designate) and senior managerial personnel from April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel from January 1, 2027.
Current chief financial officer Jagdish Bajaj will oversee a phased transition until December 31, 2026, before retiring and stepping down from his roles.
The reshuffle signals a calibrated succession plan rather than a sudden overhaul, with the company staggering exits and appointments to ensure continuity even as it refreshes leadership across verticals.
As Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail juggles legacy brands and new-age formats, the message is clear: steady hands for the present, sharper ones for the future—and no pause in the push for scale.
