MAM
FCB Kinnect appoints Priyanka Nair as national strategy director
Mumbai: Digital-first creative agency, FCB Kinnect, has appointed Priyanka Nair as national strategy director, furthering its commitment to pioneering a future where digital remains the cornerstone of brand communication strategy.
Priyanka moves from Ogilvy, where she was executive vice president – planning and strategy.
As our new national strategy director, Priyanka will spearhead the creation of transformative strategic solutions for our clients. With her profound expertise in deep thinking, she will enhance our digital capabilities, recognising their critical role as the foremost channel for brand development in the current market landscape.
Based out of the agency’s Mumbai office she will spearhead the planning teams across all three geographies – Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.
Under the guidance of Priyanka, the agency will also set up and run the transformation, expert alliances and knowledge verticals.
With over 15 years of experience, she was also associated with Creativeland Asia. Priyanka has worked closely with brands like Coca-Cola Nutrition, Minute Maid, Audi India and Tata Sky (now Tata Play), among others.
Her work has bagged various awards at the Cannes Lions, EFFIES India, EFFIES APAC and more.
On the appointment, FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX India CEO Rohan Mehta said, “Priyanka’s addition strengthens the strategic direction of our digital assets towards impactful marketing. Her expertise will bolster our brand building capabilities, further amplifying our dedication to using creativity as an economic multiplier.”
FCB Kinnect COO Chandni Shah added, “Since we already possess an integrated model blending media, tech, content, and creativity around business goals, Priyanka’s appointment will allow us to maximise our offerings, by continuing to support clients through crafting insight-driven strategies which will fuel business growth.”
“I am super thrilled to jump onto this exciting new journey with FCB Kinnect as it gives me an opportunity to use my expertise at a digital-first creative agency, to not only to put out some fun work, but also help add value to clients and maximise effectiveness for both business and brand,” said FCB Kinnect national strategy director Priyanka Nair on joining FCB Kinnect.
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.
