Brands
Bhim names MS Dhoni as brand ambassador to boost trust
Payments app taps cricket icon to drive scale, inclusion and confidence
MUMBAI: Bhim Payments App has brought in a familiar face of calm and credibility, appointing Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador as it gears up for its next phase of growth.
Announced by NPCI BHIM Services Limited, the move pairs one of India’s most trusted cricketers with a payments platform that has quietly powered the country’s digital transactions for nearly a decade. The idea is simple. Build scale, deepen inclusion and, above all, strengthen user confidence.
The partnership leans on a shared reputation for reliability. While Bhim has grown into a widely used digital payments interface built on NPCI’s infrastructure, Dhoni’s journey from small-town beginnings to national leadership mirrors that steady rise, making the association feel less like a marketing move and more like a natural fit.
NBSL MD and CEO Lalitha Nataraj said, “As digital payments continue to scale in India, the next phase of growth is about strengthening preferences and deepening user confidence. With onboarding MS Dhoni as our brand ambassador, our objective is to position Bhim Payments App not just as a payments option but as the preferred app for each member in the Indian household.”
She added, “As Bhim Payments App enters its next phase of growth, trust remains at the centre of everything we do. Dhoni represents that same trust, built over time. That is why this partnership feels inevitable.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said, “Over the years, I have always believed in keeping things simple and staying clear in approach. What stood out to me about Bhim is its focus on making digital payments straightforward and accessible to people across the country.”
He added, “As India continues to move towards greater digital adoption, it is important that users feel comfortable and confident while transacting. I am happy to be associated with an app that is built to serve everyday needs at scale.”
Repositioned as Bharat Ka Apna Payments App, Bhim has been widening its footprint across tier 1, 2 and 3 towns. With support for more than 15 regional languages and optimisation for low connectivity environments, the platform is designed to work as smoothly in smaller towns as it does in big cities.
Add to that reward-led features and growing merchant partnerships, and the app is aiming to stay not just relevant, but indispensable.
With Dhoni now at the crease, Bhim is clearly playing the long game, one built on trust, familiarity and everyday use.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
