Brands
Damac launches new India hubs to fuel global growth
MUMBAI: Real estate just got a fresh new address as Damac Group set its sights on India, proving that when it comes to global ambition, the Group is ready to build bigger and better. The UAE headquartered conglomerate has opened its new shared services arm, Damac Shared Services India, marking a major step in strengthening its worldwide operational muscle.
The new capability centres in Noida and Pune will anchor key functions such as finance, sales, operations, marketing, human resources, digital and more. Designed as innovation hubs, the offices aim to drive efficiency, speed up digital adoption and deepen customer focus across Damac’s international footprint.
Noida is expected to host around 250 employees while Pune will add more than 100 roles by 2026, forming part of a multi-phased hiring plan that taps into India’s talent depth. India is already home to more than 1,700 global capability centres, a number projected to cross 2,400 by 2030 as companies worldwide continue to leverage the country’s technology and services expertise.
Damac Group founder Hussain Sajwani, said the move reflects confidence in India’s growing strength as a global tech and talent hub. He noted that DSSI will help shape the next chapter of Damac’s global journey by building high performing teams that support the Group’s expansion.
India’s accelerating AI and digital services ecosystem further strengthens this strategic shift. A Deloitte Nasscom report estimates that the country’s AI talent base will more than double to over 1.25 million by 2027, while the AI services market is also set for rapid growth.
Damac chief human capital officer M P John, said the new hubs will help reimagine how the Group collaborates across regions and will foster a culture of innovation and empowerment within its India teams.
Built on the pillars of talent, opportunity and collaboration, Damac Shared Services India aims to seamlessly integrate India with the UAE and the company’s global network. By leveraging India’s deep expertise, DSSI is positioned to fuel the Group’s next phase of growth.
Damac Group, founded in 1982, has grown from catering and logistics into a diversified global enterprise with interests spanning real estate development, data centres, retail and fashion, hospitality, capital markets and logistics. Its presence today extends across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
