MAM
Publicis.Sapient boosts digital business transformation capability with exec hires
MUMBAI: Publicis.Sapient, the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe, has recently appointed two new executives from the global retail and technology giants Tesco and Amazon as it grows its capability to help clients build businesses of the future.
Tilak Doddapaneni will take the position of global head of engineering at Publicis.Sapient. Prior to this, Doddapaneni was online engineering director at Tesco. In his new role, he will report to Publicis Groupe lead digitalbusiness transformation and CEO Nigel Vaz.
Rakesh Ravuri, who has held a succession of senior engineering roles at Amazon, will join as chief technology officer for programming languages and cloud and global head of engineering for retail. He will play a key leadership role in Publicis.Sapient’s extensive operations in India. Ravuri will report to Doddapaneni. Both Doddapaneni and Ravuri are Sapient alumni.
Publicis.Sapient EMEA and APAC CEO Nigel Vaz said, “I’m delighted that Tilak and Rakesh will be joining Publicis.Sapient on our journey to build our engineering capability as part of our product engineering approach to deliver digital business transformation for our clients. Tilak has exceptional pedigree as a senior leader driving transformational change for one of the world’s biggest retailers through an appreciation of the power that technology and engineering have, as well as an understanding of how to apply that in the evolution of product and experience.”
“His wealth of experience makes him the right person to lead the implementation of our agile engineering model globally. Rakesh comes to us having recently successfully led the engineering team that developed Amazon delivery, one of the most significant revenue generating businesses for a global technology and retail leader,” he added.
Commenting on his new role Doddapaneni said, “As someone who is passionate about engineering and running large software systems, I am excited to return to Sapient, which continues to lead the way as a digital transformation company that uniquely combines strategy, experience and engineering disciplines to help clients reimagine and transform their businesses for a digital age. Building a company that has, develops and attracts world-class engineering talent is what has brought me back to Sapient.”
Pubilics.Sapient chief technology officer Rakesh Ravuri said, “The industry is at an inflection point and technology has moved from support role to the driver’s seat. Sapient is right at the centre of this, with its focus on digital business transformation. I am excited to have a chance to play a leading role in the engineering transformation both for Sapient and its clients.”
Doddapaneni will lead the entire technology delivery community across Publicis.Sapient globally. In addition to client success and engineering and delivery excellence, he will focus on the talent development, performance metrics, and breakthrough engineering practices required by digital business transformation clients in their modern test and learn environments.
Ravuri brings a wealth of knowledge in cloud platforms, service design and agile engineering gained as director of software development at Amazon.
Brands
Oracle layoffs affect up to 30,000 employees globally
Job cuts span US, India and more, staff cite abrupt emails, uncertainty.
MUMBAI: April began with an inbox shock and for thousands, it ended with an exit. Oracle has carried out a sweeping round of layoffs, impacting an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees across its global operations, even as the company continues to report strong business performance. The job cuts were communicated via emails sent early on April 1, affecting staff across multiple regions including the United States, India, Canada and parts of Latin America. The reduction spans a wide range of roles and functions, though the company has not disclosed specific criteria behind the decisions.
In the days following the layoffs, employees have taken to platforms such as LinkedIn to share their experiences, many describing the process as abrupt and unsettling. Several posts pointed to a lack of prior indication, with notifications arriving suddenly in early-morning messages.
A recurring concern has been the impact on long-tenured staff. Users reported that employees with decades of experience were among those let go, raising broader questions about job security even for seasoned professionals within large technology firms.
The layoffs have also sparked anxiety about the wider direction of the sector. As companies continue to invest heavily in automation and artificial intelligence, workforce recalibration is becoming more common often accompanied by uncertainty around future roles and skills.
For many affected employees, the immediate challenge lies in navigating career transitions in an increasingly competitive job market, with posts reflecting concerns about stability and next steps.
The development comes against a backdrop of strong financial performance at Oracle, which recently reported a 22 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, alongside continued growth in its cloud infrastructure business. The company has also been committing significant capital towards artificial intelligence and data centre expansion.
The contrast between growth and job cuts has added to the unease, underscoring a broader shift in how large technology firms balance expansion with efficiency sometimes at the cost of the very workforce that helped build that growth.
