Brands
Whirlpool India Q3: Full Elica buyout and new board director
UMBAI: Keeping things cool is Whirlpool of India’s speciality, but their latest board meeting suggests they are turning up the heat on the competition. In a marathon session lasting from 10:30 AM to 04:30 PM on 6 February 2026, the white goods behemoth decided to stir the pot by finalising a major acquisition and welcoming a seasoned finance veteran to the table.
Whirlpool has officially decided to go all in on its cooking and built-in business. The board approved the acquisition of the remaining 3.18 per cent stake in its subsidiary, Elica PB Whirlpool Kitchen Appliances Private Limited, for a cash consideration of approximately Rs 59 crore.
This move effectively turns the subsidiary into a 100 per cent wholly owned venture, with the deal expected to close by March 2026. Elica, which was incorporated in April 2010, is no small fry; it reported a turnover of Rs 499 crore for the year ending March 2025.
The company is also adding a dash of experience to its leadership. Anil Berera, a heavyweight with over 40 years of finance and corporate governance experience, has been appointed as an independent director.
Berera’s term will run from 1 March 2026 until 30 November 2029, pending shareholder approval. With a background that includes stints at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Gillette, he is expected to provide steady hands as the company navigates the current economic climate.
On the financial front, the results for the quarter ended 31 December 2025 were a mixed bag of rising revenues and exceptional hurdles:
Standalone revenue: Climbed to Rs 162,413 lakh this quarter, up from Rs 156,495 lakh in the same period the previous year.
Consolidated revenue: Reached Rs 177,384 lakh for the quarter.
Net profit: The standalone profit for the quarter stood at Rs 1,345 lakh, a dip from Rs 2,678 lakh recorded in the previous year’s corresponding quarter.
Exceptional items: Profits were hit by a significant provision of Rs 3,884 lakh at a consolidated level (Rs 3,341 lakh standalone) due to the implementation of new Government of India labour codes.
Total comprehensive income: Reached Rs 1,513 lakh for the standalone quarter.
Despite these one-off costs, the company continues to see growth in its core Home Appliances segment. The board also noted a previous silver lining: an insurance claim of Rs 991 lakh received earlier in the year following a fire at their Delhi warehouse in March 2024.
While the numbers show a slight chill in immediate profits due to regulatory shifts, Whirlpool’s total control of Elica and the addition of Berera suggest they are prepping the oven for a very busy 2026.
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.
