MAM
AiM to bring Asian media professionals together
Mumbai: Asians in Media (AiM) will launch a new discussion forum next week in London to promote greater interaction between Asian media professionals in the UK.
AiM, celebrating their 1st anniversary this week, is the only magazine in the UK to cover the Asian professionals in particular and the media industry in general.
As part of the initiative, a regular series of events will be held at London Westminster’s prestigious Cinnamon Club. The aim of these programmes, the first of their kind in the UK, is to help Asian media professionals to work closer and raise issues that affect them.
Asians in Media Editor-in-chief Sunny Hundal, says: “I think its time that Indians, along with the rest of those from the sub-continent, took charge of what is being written and made about them in British media. We want to provide an opportunity for Asians here in all levels of the media to meet and discuss the important issues, as well as how we can take ourselves forward as a community. By having these debates we can raise our voices collectively.”
“There are also a lot of other issues such as immigration, outsourcing, and portrayal of the sub-continent, which regularly come up in discussions. Plus we would like to encourage the mainstream to invest in Asian media and target Asian consumers more actively. This will be a platform for them to meet, develop ideas and form business partnerships,” said Hundal.
The announcement coincides with a new report by the British government agency COI, to be released on Monday, encouraging mainstream British media companies to work closer with specialist Asian press in order to target younger and older members of the community.
“Our aim, through the online magazine, has always been to inform readers about the Asian media so that mainstream media can target the Asian community better. These events come at a time when the mainstream media find our radio, TV and publishing companies coming off age and getting economically attractive. That speaks for the recent investments made by heavyweights such as Sky and Express newspapers,” Sunny Hundal adds.
Moving forward, the Asians in Media endeavours to initiate more focused and wide-ranging dialogues on key current issues within the industry by organising bigger industry events.
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.
