MAM
Enormous onboards Shashwat Manohar as VP & head of digital
Mumbai: Independent creative agency Enormous has brought Shashwat Manohar on board as vice president and head of its digital arm. Based out of the agency’s Gurgaon office, Manohar will work closely with Enormous managing partner Ashish Khazanchi.
“In this role, Manohar will be in charge of the agency’s full-service digital offerings. He will oversee the agency’s expansion and provide essential digital solutions to existing and new clients in comms and performance,” said the company in a statement.
Previously, Manohar was associated with FoxyMoron as business director (North). He began his career with AdGlobal360 in Gurgaon before moving on to Wunderman as business director and subsequently Wunderman Thompson’s Network as VP and CSD for the next eight years.
Manohar has worked for established brands in India, such as Microsoft, Bose, Nestle, Kellogg’s, GSK, Times of India, ITC Hotels, and Honda Cars in his 12 years of digital advertising and transformation experience for businesses across regions. He combines the width of his digital marketing experience with new age communication tools to drive behavioural change for his clients.
“The advertising industry today has become quite fragmented in terms of service offerings for brands. This poses a challenge for marketers as they switch between multiple agencies and struggle at most times to deliver impactful results across,” said Shashwat Manohar. “My aim therefore is to work closely with the very capable team at Enormous and deliver 360 solutions and campaigns in a consistent and effective manner for brands and businesses.”
“Shashwat has joined us as vice president and head of Digital, which we are really excited about,” commented Ashish Khazanchi. “We realise the importance of building seamless client and consumer experiences across platforms in an age when the touch points are getting fragmented every minute. Every agency needs to evolve to not just do impactful ads but guide the narratives across platforms. This is a direction we would like to evolve in and Shashwat is going to play an important role with the strategy team in driving this.”
Brands
Nykaa eyes majority stake in Deepika Padukone’s 82°E brand
Deal could help scale premium label as Nykaa sharpens its beauty play
MUMBAI: Nykaa is in advanced discussions to acquire a majority stake in 82°E, the premium skincare label founded by Deepika Padukone, according to media reports.
The proposed deal signals Nykaa’s intent to deepen its House of Nykaa portfolio while giving 82°E the scale it has struggled to achieve independently. Padukone is expected to retain a minority stake if the transaction goes through.
For Nykaa, the play is both strategic and timely. With a customer base of over 42 million, the company is betting on its strong distribution, logistics, and repeat purchase ecosystem to revive the brand’s momentum. The two sides already share a working relationship, with Padukone serving as Nykaa’s global brand ambassador since September 2025.
Launched in late 2022, 82°E entered the market with a premium positioning but has faced headwinds. The brand reported revenue of Rs 14.7 crore in FY25, down 30 per cent year on year, alongside losses of Rs 12.26 crore. Industry observers have pointed to steep pricing, a somewhat diffused brand identity, and intense competition from digital-first labels as key challenges.
The potential acquisition also reflects a broader shift in India’s beauty and lifestyle space, where celebrity-led brands are increasingly partnering with larger corporates to unlock scale. Alia Bhatt’s Ed-a-Mamma, for instance, sold a majority stake to Reliance Retail, while Katrina Kaif’s Kay Beauty has emerged as a standout success within Nykaa’s portfolio, clocking Rs 132.4 crore in FY25 revenue.
Nykaa itself has been on a strong growth trajectory. Its parent, FSN E-Commerce Ventures, reported a 156 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 68 crore in the December 2025 quarter, with revenue reaching Rs 2,873 crore.
Nykaa has been steadily building its portfolio through acquisitions such as Dot & Key, Earth Rhythm and Nudge Wellness, signalling a clear push to own and scale homegrown brands.
If the 82°E deal materialises, it could mark a fresh chapter for the label, blending celebrity appeal with corporate muscle. For Nykaa, it is another calculated step in staying ahead in an increasingly crowded beauty aisle.
