MAM
DPhi appoints Bconnect Communications as its communication partner
Mumbai: Belgium and India based DPhi has appointed a new-age integrated marketing communication agency — Bconnect Communications — to manage its external communication across pan India.
DPhi is an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused community platform. Chanukya Patnaik founded the company in 2020 with the goal of educating and building AI for everyone in order to solve key challenges for humanity.
Headquartered in Delhi, Bconnect Communication will look into the strategic communication for DPhi as it is important to convey the right message to the audience about the brand initiatives.
On its collaboration with Bconnect Communications, DPhi founder Chanukya Patnaik said, “We are glad to onboard Bconnect Communications as our communication partner. We’ve worked with them on a few engagements before getting into this longer collaboration. Neha and her team showed great enthusiasm, ownership, and a keen willingness to make an impact. Most importantly, they are well connected across most Indian media outlets and have shown remarkable results in a short span. This collaboration will help DPhi reach a wider audience, and we are looking forward to it.”
Bconnect Communication founder and director Neha Bahri said, “Business-to-business technology is our core forte. It is the most demanding segment right now in the global and Indian markets. Our strong business acumen in the sector and past experience in the B2B and AI space gives us an edge in working on our strong portfolio of clients. I believe we will be able to deliver through a mix of communication strategies.”
DPhi said that it has fostered AI-driven innovation among several companies and has solved social and business problems, including predicting earthquakes to save lives, safeguarding NFTs, building an AI powered lens for the blind and many others.
DPhi claims to provide free AI and data science courses by industry experts from large tech companies or startups worldwide. It claims that over 100K learners across 150 countries have benefited from its courses in the past two years.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
