MAM
9X Media Network restructures national sales team
MUMBAI: Music television network 9X Media Pvt Ltd has announced a national restructuring of its sales team which will come into effect from 26 April.
Samir Kadam has been appointed national sales head at 9X Jalwa (the all time Bollywood Hits channel) and 9X Jhakaas (India‘s first Marathi music channel). He has earlier worked with Star Network, Zee TV and B4U. Before joining 9X Media, Kadam was handling the national sales for Star Jalsha Movies.
The network has also elevated Anupama Gulati to handle the national sales responsibilities for the network‘s international music channel – 9XO. She will also head the brand solutions function for the network. Sachin Malhotra has been promoted to handle 9X Tashan sales across India. The sales responsibility for the group‘s flagship channel 9XM will be shared between Rajiv Sharma in North and Johnson Jain in West. All the sales heads will continue to report to 9X Media Group chief revenue officer Pawan Jailkhani. This structure will come into effect from the last week of April 2013.
Jailkhani said, “The past 18 months have been very exciting for 9X Media Group. We have grown manifold times both in terms of ad revenues and our music channels offerings. Keeping in mind the current and future needs of our Network we have strengthened our sales team with internal and external appointments. This will enable more focused sales considering our diverse portfolio of music channels. I would also like to welcome Samir to 9X Media Group. I am confident that Samir will add tremendous value to the team.”
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
