MAM
Ashish Bhasin re-elected president of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)
MUMBAI: Ashish Bhasin, CEO Greater South, Dentsu Aegis Network and Chairman & CEO India, has been re-elected as President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for the year 2019-20. The announcement was made at the AAAI Annual General Body Meeting, held today.
Also, Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Media India, has been re-elected as Vice-President of the Association.
Other elected members of the Executive Committee in alphabetical order are:
Anand Bhadkamkar Dentsu Aegis Network
Kalyan Sarkar Standard Publicity
Kunal Lalani Crayons Advertising
Prasanth Kumar Group M Media India
Srinivasan K Swamy RK Swamy BBDO
Vivek Srivastava Innocean Worldwide Communication
Immediate Past President, Nakul Chopra will be the ex-officio member of the new AAAI Executive Committee.
On this occasion, Mr Ashish Bhasin, President AAAI, said “I thank the members of the AAAI for reposing their faith in me by electing me for another term as the President of this illustrious organisation. Along with my colleagues in the Executive Committee, I had set out on a mission to make the association more inclusive, diverse and future-ready. While we have made significant progress in some areas, there are many areas which require more work to be done. I am honoured to be selected for the second term, which will allow the Executive Committee and me to complete the unfinished tasks. The tremendous support and unity that the members of AAAI have shown, makes me proud of our Association!”
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the national organisation of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their industry interests so that they continue to make an essential and ever-increasing contribution to the nation. The AAAI today is truly representative, with a very large number of small, medium and large-sized agencies as its members, who together account for almost 80% 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.
