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Former BBC DG Dyke criticises cutbacks
MUMBAI: Earlier this month the BBC announced major organisation restructuring in the UK. As per the plan it will let go off of thousands of employees in order to save hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Now the BBC’s former DG Greg Dyke has spoken out against the move saying that it would prove debilitating.
Appearing on the BBC show Newsnight Dyke claimed that he would have dealt with the situation differently. Dyke said that the 2,900 job losses which were recently announced could prove to be “debilitating” for the BBC and could affect the organisation’s creativity.
He said, “I think that the creativity of an organisation is based on the morale and enthusiasm and the energy of the staff. If you could make all those big cuts at one time then you could pick it up later. If you have to drag them out over three or four years it’s incredibly debilitating for an organisation.”
A report in BBC News states that the BBC is hoping to save £320 million per year, which will be put back into programme-making. Further cuts are expected in the New Year.
The vast majority – some 2,500 posts – will go from administrative departments including human resources, finance, marketing, training and legal services. A further 400 jobs will go in the corporation’s factual and learning department.
Dyke told the BBC Two programme that he could not understand the BBC board’s support of the job-cutting plans. “I find the position of the board of governors a bit odd because many of those governors were the people who sat there for the last four years supporting a completely different approach”.
Dyke went on to deny that if he had stayed in the job he would have faced a “new political reality” which would have forced him to make the same decision. “I don’t think that’s the case. Personally I find it offensive in some ways that you try to appeal to a Labour government by taking people who have got decent jobs – not particularly well paid, but not bad jobs – where they get pensions and they have proper support systems and the rest of it, and we want to take those things outside, often to organisations where you get none of those.”
MAM
Shoppers Stop elevates Biju Kassim as GSS Beauty CEO
Move comes as GSS Beauty scales global brand partnerships in India.
MUMBAI: From store shelves to global shelves, the beauty game is getting a sharper makeover. Shoppers Stop has elevated Biju Kassim as managing director and chief executive officer of Global SS Beauty Brands Limited (GSSBB), signalling a stronger push into the premium beauty segment. The move builds on Kassim’s role in setting up GSSBB, a wholly owned subsidiary that has quickly positioned itself as a fast-growing distribution platform for global beauty brands in India. The unit has been central to Shoppers Stop’s ambition of expanding its footprint in the high-margin beauty and luxury categories.
Chairman Nirvik Singh noted that Kassim’s experience across the beauty ecosystem and his understanding of premium and luxury consumers would help steer the next phase of growth. The focus, he indicated, will be on sharpening the company’s beauty portfolio and scaling partnerships with international brands.
Kassim, for his part, steps into the role at a time when India’s premium beauty market is undergoing rapid evolution, driven by rising consumer aspirations and increased access to global labels. He highlighted that GSSBB will remain a key strategic pillar, with an emphasis on expanding brand partnerships, enhancing consumer experiences and driving growth across markets.
As global beauty brands continue to eye India as a high-growth destination, Shoppers Stop’s bet is clear: owning not just the shelf, but the entire beauty ecosystem behind it.
