MAM
Inderniel Shivdasani joins Pepperfry as head of strategy and investor relations
Mumbai: Pepperfry, an e-commerce furniture and home decor company, has announced the appointment of Inderniel Shivdasani as head of strategy and investor relations. In this role, Inderniel will be responsible for leading Pepperfry’s strategic initiatives and investor relations.
Inderniel brings over 13 years of experience in finance, strategy, investor relations, and mergers & acquisitions, having held leadership roles at prominent companies in the consumer tech and healthcare industries. Most recently, he was director – corporate strategy at Cleartrip, playing a key role in the company’s 100 per cent acquisition by Flipkart in 2021. He also served as the chief of staff at Manipal Health Enterprises, where he spearheaded strategy, expansion, and business analysis initiatives.
As head of strategy & investor relations, Inderniel will be responsible for communicating Pepperfry’s journey and future plans to the investor community, while leveraging the company’s strengths to drive profitable growth.
Speaking on the new appointment, Pepperfry co-founder & CEO Ashish Shah said, “We are thrilled to welcome Inderniel to the Pepperfry team. His in-depth knowledge and expertise in managing investor relations, strategy, and financial reporting, combined with his proven track record of success in scaling businesses, makes him an asset to our organisation. We are confident that he will play a pivotal role in driving Pepperfry’s future growth and success.”
Pepperfry’s newly appointed head, IR & strategy – Inderniel Shivdasani added, “I am excited to join Pepperfry at this pivotal moment in the company’s journey. As the category creator of the organized furniture and home decor market in India, Pepperfry has been instrumental in driving the growth of this industry. It is a leading player in the rapidly expanding online furniture and home décor market, and I look forward to working with the team to enhance its investor relations strategy and drive the company’s continued success.”
Inderniel holds a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Mumbai and an MBA from T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Inderniel balances his professional acumen with a passion for adventure, travel, and sports. His pursuits range from adrenaline-fueled activities like cliff and bungee jumping to challenging road trips. He also enjoys his dose of sports or a run on the beach.
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.
