MAM
AAAI re-elects Anupriya Acharya as president for second term
Mumbai: Publicis Groupe CEO- South Asia Anupriya Acharya has been re-elected as president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for the year 2021-22 at the AAAI’s annual general body meeting held on 30 September.
Group M Media India CEO Prasanth Kumar was re-elected as vice-president of the association.
Other elected members of the executive committee include Rana Barua (Havas Worldwide India), Mohit Joshi (Havas Media India), Kunal Lalani (Crayons Advertising), Rohan Mehta (Kinnect Media), Vivek Srivastava (Innocean Worldwide Communication).
Immediate past president Ashish Bhasin will be the ex-officio member of the new AAAI executive committee, the association said in a statement.
“It’s a privilege to be re-elected for another term as the president of AAAI and I thank all the AAAI members for placing their trust in me and for their strong support,” Acharya said. “This past one year, given the pandemic backdrop, our key priority has been to assist our members in navigating the challenging times. Our executive committee has been steadfast on this and despite virtual meetings, it made tremendous progress.”
She shared that AAAI has also taken multiple initiatives to pivot to the new normal, make the association future-ready and drive inclusivity.
“In fact, I am delighted to share that beyond creative and media, now digital agencies too are taking keen interest and are becoming full-fledged members of the Association. With the markets opening up, the EC and I look forward to driving these initiatives further,” Acharya further added.
Formed in 1945, the AAAI is a not-for-profit industry-led and industry-managed trade association of advertising agencies. The association’s members include a large number of small, medium, and large-sized agencies, who together account for almost 80 per cent of the advertising business placed in the country.
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.
