MAM
ADFEST 2016 confirms 57 jurors from 18 cities
MUMBAI: ADFEST has announced that some of the world’s most celebrated creative professionals will be joining ADFEST 2016 as jurors including 57 professionals from 18 cities: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.
Introducing the jury panel for Film & Radio Lotus:
• Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney (Jury President)
• Erick Rosa, Executive Creative Director, MullenLowe Singapore, Singapore
• Jennifer Hu, Chief Creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan, Taipei
• Joo Yu Kyung, Creative Director, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul
• Malek Ghorayeb, Regional Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett MENA, Beirut
• Santi Suwanvalaikorn, Founder & Executive Creative Director, Youngsanti, Bangkok
• Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
The jury panel for Design Lotus & Print Craft Lotus:
• Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo (Jury President)
• Chutivat Cherdchoo, Executive Creative Director, Visionary Group, Bangkok
• Guy Venables, Founder, GUY>ENABLES, Sydney
• Ivan Hadywibowo, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson, Jakarta
• Sanket Pathare, Senior Creative Director, McCann Erickson India, Mumbai
• Sing Lin, Creative Director & Partner, BeWater, Shanghai
• Trevor Kennedy, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Solutions GROUP, Colombo
The jury panel for Media Lotus, Branded Entertainment Lotus & Content Lotus:
• Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai (Jury President)
• Darren Watson, Executive Creative Director – APAC, FITCH, Singapore
• Evan Teng, Managing Director, J. Walter Thompson Taiwan, Taipei
• Georg Warga, Creative Director, Filmmaker & Founder, GOODSTEIN, Shanghai
• Patrick Baron, Executive Creative Director, McCann Melbourne, Melbourne
• Sarnchatt Chansrakao, Managing Director, Dentsu Media Thailand, Bangkok
• Sokichi Nakazawa, Executive Manager of Data Driven Media Marketing Center, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc., Tokyo
The jury panel for Promo Lotus and Effective Lotus:
• Chris Chiu, Singapore (Jury President)
• Anu Joseph, Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
• Dani Richa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, BBDO MENA, Pakistan & Africa, Dubai
• Eric Cruz, Executive Creative Director, AKQA Shanghai, Shanghai
• Jeff Ma, Marketing Vice President, Greater China, The Woolmark Company, Shanghai
• Joyce Deng, Marketing Vice President, Yintai Yushen Business Management Co., Ltd., Beijing
• Tara Ford, Creative Director, WhybinTBWA Group, Melbourne
The jury panel for Integrated Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Lotus Roots:
• Jeremy Craigen, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innocean Worldwide, Seoul ( Jury President)
• Ben Welsh, Creative Chairman, Asia, M&C Saatchi, Sydney
• Chee Keong (CK) Tan, Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
• Chris Chiu, Singapore
• Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, Mumbai
• Richard Yu, Chief Creative Officer & China Network Creative Consultant, ADK Taiwan, Taipei
• Sihabutr Xoomsai, Film Director, Triton Film, Bangkok
• Valerie Cheng, Head of Creative Shop, Southeast Asia, Facebook, Singapore
• Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
“Our jurors arrived in Thailand yesterday to begin debating this year’s entries. It is now their responsibility to choose the work that is driving our industry forward, we’d like to thank them for the hard work they will perform over the next few days,” says ADFEST president Jimmy Lam.
ADFEST 2016 will run from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
