MAM
Dentsu Creative India appoints Nikhil Kumar as managing partner (West)
Mumbai: Dentsu Creative, the creative agency network of Dentsu India, has announced the appointment of Nikhil Kumar as managing partner (West)
As per the mandate, Nikhil will be responsible for leading the West region, with a focus on growth and creative excellence & will be reporting to Indrajeet Mookherjee, President, of Dentsu Creative.
Dentsu Creative is evolving by expanding beyond creative solutions to provide end-to-end marketing consultancy. It embraces Creative tech in both thinking and execution, going beyond traditional art and copy domains.
Nikhil’s appointment aligns with the agency’s recent transformation, combining digital experts and brand specialists for seamless integration with media, CX, and data.
Nikhil joined Dentsu Creative from Publicis Groupe, where he was an EVP and business head for a few key mandates. He has over 16 years of experience within the M&A industry. And has championed a few marketing roles in the initial stages of his career before transitioning into specialized fields of the agency ecosystem. Including P&L management, business consultancy, brand strategy, shopper science & even digital excellence.
Speaking on the appointment, Indrajeet said, “The West will play a pivotal role in driving sustained growth & glory for the agency and we are certain with Nikhil’s past expertise across diverse functions of the marketing realm, he has the right ambition and attitude to take us on this journey ahead. We welcome him to our family and wish him the best in his current & future endeavours.”
Nikhil added, “Dentsu Creative has been a formidable leader in its craft & has historically challenged the paradigm of what’s conventional. With its impeccable pool of talent & teams, I’m looking forward to this responsibility of collaborating and steering the agency in a direction that benefits our partners and us equally.”
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.
