MAM
Dan Consult appoints Milind Shah as partner – Martech, RPA & Data
MUMBAI: DAN Consult, the consulting division from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has roped in Milind Shah as Partner – Martech , RPA & Data . Milind will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Lalit Bhagia, CEO, DAN Consult. As Partner – Digital, his chief mandate will be to help build and lead a client-facing Martech, RPA and Data Consulting practise. This is part of the larger marketing transformation service offering of DAN Consult.
Prior to joining DAN Consult, Milind was Head of Sales – India with Cognizant Technology Solutions where he helped Cognizant significantly scale their India business. At Cognizant, Milind was responsible for topline, client satisfaction, go-to-market, marketing, strategy, alliances and growing the India market. He has an astute understanding of Indian business environment and the impact of digital technologies on various industries. With 20+ years of experience, Milind has worked in leadership and consulting roles across global organizations like IBM, HP and Capgemini and has advised clients across industry segments to traverse through the digital disruption in APAC . Milind has core industry expertise in industries like Retail, CPG and Manufacturing (discrete and process) and has experience of working in complex consulting projects. Milind has completed his Masters in Operations Research from University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA and is a Bachelor of Production Engineering from Mumbai. He is also a Certified Supply Chain Professional by APICs and has also completed Part time Executive Management Program from University of Cornell. He teaches part time at Business Schools.
Commenting on the appointment, Lalit Bhagia, CEO, DAN Consult said, “We are excited to have somebody with the calibre of Milind in our team. Having worked in large global technology firms with a huge focus on Martech, RPA and digital transformation, we believe Milind will be able to add a lot of value to our clients’ business as they look at marketing/digital transformation. Milind’s understanding of the space and thought leadership will bring immense value to us and our clients’ businesses. As we focus on helping companies transform their business, we believe Milind will act as a true partner helping companies scale their business. We believe while a lot of firms like consulting and technology firms are now focused on Martech and data consulting, the unique advantage that DAN Consult has, is the ability to drive revenues and deliver ROI which Milind along with our extended team will be uniquely positioned to deliver.”
On his new role, Milind said, “It is estimated the Martech spend would overcome core technology spend in the next 5 years. Instead of balancing individual agency partners, tech firms and consulting firms in the Digital Transformation journey, DAN Consult provides a unique value proposition of growth hacking by delivering on clear business outcomes. There is a dearth of companies who deliver on business results as well as deliver complex Martech solutions where I believe DAN Consult plays uniquely by partnering with both technology product companies and clients. I am excited to join DAN Consult to grow their Martech, RPA and Data Practice.”
Milind lives in Mumbai and is a wildlife enthusiast and a PADI certified Scuba Diver.
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.
