MAM
WATConsult’s Rajiv Dingra launches RD&X
NEW DELHI: Rajiv Dingra (previously founder and CEO of WATConsult, a digital agency part of global network Dentsu International) has announced the launch of his latest entrepreneurial venture, RD&X Network — a deep-tech network that will drive brand, business, media and data transformation helping businesses globally become real-time, disruptive, and thereby achieve exponential growth.
RD&X Network endeavours to leverage the impending deep tech and business model disruption across marketing, advertising, media, and business consulting with its unique transformational offerings. An initial corpus of $10 million has been committed for its organic and inorganic growth worldwide. Aiming to be a geography agnostic and remote-first company, its expansion plans include strategic acquisitions and investments in early-stage companies in areas of deep tech, gig economy, mar-tech, and ad-tech. Parallelly, in-house flagship solutions are also currently under development.
While the India hub will serve as a global capability centre powering shared services and technology, there will be three international hubs in the US, EMEA, and SEA respectively. These hubs will function as centres of excellence offering brand, business, media, and data transformation services. RD&X Network is currently in advanced stages of discussion with multiple disruptive early-stage companies in each of these markets to join the network and plans to be fully operational across global markets by the end of Q2 2021.
RD&X Network founder and CEO Rajiv Dingra said, “This decade belongs to deep tech disruption and every organization around the world will need to evolve through transformation to stay relevant today and grow in the future. We believe that the gig economy coupled with deep tech will create new business models that are agile and effective to scale globally. The disruption caused by the pandemic provided us with a huge opportunity of building a global network in the new normal. The impact of COVID-19 has accelerated the necessity for businesses to rapidly adopt technologies like AI, Blockchain, Robotics, XR, and IoT to navigate an uncertain future. We are already seeing early-stage companies at the forefront of this disruption and we are excited by our ongoing discussions with them. We look forward to such disruptive companies becoming a part of our network.”
Rajiv started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 20 in 2005. He founded his second venture WATConsult in 2007 which became a globally awarded digital agency from India with a team of 400 people. In 2015, he sold the majority stake in WATConsult in a successful multi-million dollar exit and became a part of the global advertising network Dentsu International. He stepped down from his position of Founder & CEO after 13 years in January 2020. During his time at Dentsu International, he played a key role as a lead member of the Digital Council and the Executive Board.
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.
