MAM
Affle’s Maas platform bolsters leadership team with two key appointments
Mumbai: Affle’s Maas, the unified mobile user acquisition platform, has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Sushant Tomar as senior director – India and Sharadh Manian as director of supply partnerships.
Tomar will lead the expansion of Maas platform in India and help drive business growth for advertisers and Manian will lead global supply partnerships and drive strategic partnerships for Mass, said the company in a statement.
“We welcome Sushant and Sharadh to our leadership team and wish them a successful journey at Mass,” said Mass India chief data & platforms officer & head Vipul Kedia. “Their cross-functional and relevant industry experience will enable us to drive further growth for our platform and strengthen our verticalized offerings for leading advertisers.”
Tomar joins Maas with over 12 years of experience in driving and scaling high-growth businesses across fintech, SaaS, adtech, and e-commerce industries. In his last stint at M&C Saatchi Performance as country director, he played a key role in setting up and scaling the India business. “Digital advertising in India is at an exciting phase with strong tailwinds encouraging the app marketers to opt for a diverse mix of channels and consumer touchpoints to engage with their users. I look forward to onboarding new partners while growing the business with our existing partners,” said Tomar on his new role.
Manian comes with over 14 years of experience across SVG Media – A dentsu Aegis Network company, Bertelsmann, and HT Media amongst others. In his last stint at SVG Media – dentsu as director of business development, he was responsible for managing scaled-up global supply partnerships in programmatic and performance marketing. “With an unprecedented surge in digital adoption across the globe, I can’t imagine a more exciting time to join the Maas team. I look forward to partnering with some of the leading in-app and digital advertising ecosystem players to drive business growth through new strategic initiatives, in India and beyond,” stated Manian.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
