Brands
Cheil SWA elevates Kumar Awanish to group chief operating officer
Former chief growth officer to steer operations and AI push at agency
GURUGRAM: Cheil South West Asia has elevated Kumar Awanish to group chief operating officer, strengthening its leadership team as the agency sharpens its focus on technology and AI-led transformation.
Awanish, who previously served as chief growth officer, will now oversee the group’s operational strategy. He will report to Sungkyoon Kim, president and chief executive officer, and will be based at the agency’s Gurugram headquarters.
In his new role, Awanish will drive operational excellence across the group while fostering closer collaboration among its agencies. He will also help steer Cheil SWA’s ambition to evolve into an AI-first organisation, combining technology and data with creative capabilities to deliver future ready solutions for clients.
“Kumar has the right skill set and experience to lead the group into this dynamic phase,” said Kim. “Cheil SWA is entering a new chapter of advertising transformation led by AI. His passion for the organisation and enthusiasm for work are truly infectious, and I look forward to his next innings with the group.”
With more than two decades of experience across advertising, marketing and digital ecosystems, Awanish has built a career around scaling businesses through technology and data driven strategies. During his tenure as chief growth officer at Cheil India, he led a team of over 100 specialists and helped build the agency’s direct to consumer and commerce capabilities while sustaining strong growth in media operations.
Before joining Cheil SWA, Awanish held roles across several leading organisations including Bharti Airtel, Snapdeal, Times Internet, GroupM and Oppo.
Reflecting on the new role, Awanish said the agency’s next chapter will be driven by a deeper integration of technology and creativity. “We are doubling down on AI literacy across functions and group agencies, empowering our people to use AI not just for efficiency but as a catalyst for human creativity,” he said.
He added that the renewed integration of media and creative capabilities will help the agency remain agile while delivering full funnel impact for clients in an increasingly complex marketing landscape.
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.
