MAM
Kapture CX appoints Chandrakanth PS as AVP sales-Middle East
Mumbai: Kapture CX, the SaaS-based customer experience platform, has appointed Chandrakanth PS as AVP sales-Middle East.
Chandrakanth brings with him an impressive wealth of experience, totaling an outstanding 10 years in international sales leadership. With over a decade of experience as an international sales leader, Chandrakanth has honed a formidable skill set that includes in-depth knowledge of local business norms, etiquette, and laws—a vital asset for navigating international markets effectively. Throughout his illustrious career, Chandrakanth has demonstrated his prowess in managing the entire sales cycle, utilizing tools such as SalesForce, and providing invaluable coaching and mentoring to sales teams. He has made remarkable strides in B2B sales, solution selling, and strategic account development. Chandrakanth has not only contributed significantly to SAAS sales but has also excelled in account management and portfolio expansion. His exceptional skills in business planning, reporting, and customer relationship management have earned him recognition as an award-winning sales professional.
Commenting on his appointment, Kapture CX CEO and co-founder Sheshgiri Kamath said, “Vikas and I are excited to welcome Chandrakanth to the Kapture team. We’ve been growing well in the Middle east market and bringing Chandra on board will accelerate this journey significantly for us. He’s a rockstar and has built out some great relationships over the course of his career. His expertise building and accelerating new geography expansion is a step in the right direction as we look to scale our solutions globally. We truly believe Chandra can help us drive leadership market share amongst enterprises in customer experience across the Middle east market.”
Chandrakanth holds an MBA in Finance & Marketing from Kaplan University in Singapore. Before joining the Kapture CX, Chandrakanth made significant contributions as the associate director of sales at Locus, where he played a pivotal role in achieving their goals.
Commenting on the same, Chandrakanth PS, AVP sales-Middle East, said, “I am focussed in the Middle East region, including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Kenya. The Middle East is a vibrant and dynamic business landscape, with a strong emphasis on delivering exceptional customer service. Kapture CX’s track record of helping over 1000+ businesses globally, coupled with their proven ability to drive significant improvements in team productivity, overall customer satisfaction, and operational cost reduction, makes them an ideal partner for businesses in the Middle East seeking to elevate their customer experience.By joining forces with Kapture CX, I am confident that we can support businesses in the Middle East to establish a strong foothold in the market and deliver exceptional customer experiences.”
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
