MAM
Getting the Jist right as Asmita Nandy joins as editor
Ramnath Goenka winner to sharpen investigative focus at Jist News.
MUMBAI: If the story is in the soil, Jist News has just hired someone who knows how to dig. The digital first news platform has appointed award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Asmita Nandy as consulting editor, signalling a sharper push towards investigative depth and ground reporting at a time when speed often trumps substance.
A Ramnath Goenka Award winner, Nandy brings nearly a decade of experience in immersive and investigative journalism across television, digital and documentary formats. Her work has also earned her the WAN IFRA South Asia Award and a RedInk Special Mention, recognitions that underline both storytelling craft and editorial rigour.
Over the years, she has reported for leading Indian and international organisations including CNA, French TV, Brut, The Quint and Reuters, consistently focusing on people first narratives and stories rooted in lived realities rather than studio debates.
At Jist News, founded in 2023, Nandy will help shape editorial strategy, steer documentary initiatives and mentor reporting teams as the platform deepens its emphasis on field based journalism and sharp explainers within India’s crowded digital news ecosystem.
Speaking on her appointment, Nandy said Jist’s commitment to on ground journalism stood out at a time when trust, depth and context are more critical than ever. She added that she looks forward to building narratives that reflect ground realities and strengthen credible journalism.
Jist News co founder Sattvik Mishra described her arrival as a strategic boost. He said Nandy’s documentary lens and editorial discipline align closely with the platform’s mission and would be key as it scales its investigative capabilities.
In a digital landscape often dominated by noise, Jist News appears to be betting that clarity and credibility still carry weight. And with Nandy now in the newsroom, the platform seems intent on proving that sometimes, getting to the gist means going back to the ground.
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.
