Brands
IndiGo, Bose’s ‘Poorna’ salute women
MUMBAI: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, IndiGo celebrates the historic feat of Poorna Malavath, the youngest girl in the world to climb Mount Everest, by collaborating with Actor and Director Rahul Bose for his second directorial venture – Poorna. Through this association, IndiGo aims to honour the achievements of Poorna Malavath and many other women champions who defy odds to scale.
Poorna, releasing on 31 March 2017 is based on the life story of Poorna Malavath, an Adivasi from Telangana, who in 2014, at the age of 13, became the youngest girl in history to climb the Mount Everest. It powerfully encapsulates all the lessons of empowerment of the socially marginalized, gender equality, the importance of education, and last but not least how with courage, determination, and hard work, a child can achieve anything! The movie features Aditi Inamdar and Rahul Bose in lead roles.
‘Poorna’ director and producer Bose said, “It was just a perfect fit to partner with a brand like IndiGo that consistently recognizes and respects the incredible achievements of women. I hope this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values.” The co-producer of ‘Poorna’, Amit Patni, Founder of RAAY Media, said, “When Rahul suggested we tie up with IndiGo airlines we immediately agreed. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence and ‘Girl Power’ initiative left us in no doubt that this would be a natural, mutually productive partnership.”
IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said, “It is indeed an honour to be associated with a movie such as Poorna that reminds us of a young girl’s extremely difficult yet courageous journey. Her exemplary display of determination, self-discipline and physical fitness is an inspiration for all of us. I would like to congratulate Rahul Bose for creating such a masterpiece and I am confident that the movie will receive love from the audience.”
Ghosh further added, “At IndiGo, we believe that women have the power to change any industry and with this belief we have endeavoured to empower women (both employees and communities outside). Our collaboration with Poorna aligns naturally with our ongoing programmes – #GirlPower and #FitToFly that believe in empowering everyone inside and outside the organisation with better opportunities.”
Empowering women has been core to IndiGo. It is evident from the data as 43 percent of the entire workforce and also 25 per cent of the leadership team comprises women workforce. The company also has dedicated women empowerment and education programmes under IndiGoReach – company’s CSR programme.
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.
