MAM
Hero Vired bolsters leadership team with two key appointments
Mumbai: Hero Vired, a homegrown ed-tech company for higher education aspirants and professionals has announced the appointment of Geetika Goel as head of technology and Dr Ankur Sodhi as associate vice president for career services and corporate relations. According to the statement, both leaders will spearhead their respective teams to prepare for the company’s next phase of growth and expansion.
Goel is a seasoned IT professional with over 20 years of experience building large technology-focused organisations in diverse domains. She commands an in-depth understanding of technology with an ability to recruit, mentor, and grow other tech professionals.
“Geetika will report directly to the CEO and serve as a technological and business specialist, making decisions that will affect the company’s present and future operations. She will integrate business objectives and strategy into technology vision and requirements, manage a world-class team of engineers, encourage them, and instill a strong engineering culture inside the firm,” said the company. “In addition, she will investigate, compare, select, and deploy technology solutions to meet current and future industry needs.”
Commenting on her new assignment, Goel said, “I am very excited about working with the leadership teams to create and deliver exceptional outcomes for learners. At the same time, I see a great opportunity to transform Hero Vired into a LearnTech organisation.”
With over 18 years of experience as an educationist, public speaker and strategic planner, Sodhi has played a vital role in improving the systems at various organisations. In his previous role at upGrad as associate director, career services and corporate relations, Sodhi was actively involved in the learners’ journey and ensured their successful transition from students to professionals.
“In this role, Sodhi will be responsible for end-to-end student placement preparation and career counselling,” said the statement.
“Our experts at Hero Vired aim to upskill learners and provide them with better outcomes when they join the workforce or take their careers to the next level,” stated Hero Vired founder and CEO Akshay Munjal. “We are delighted to bring on board Geetika and Dr Ankur to lead two of the most crucial teams for Hero Vired, as we increase our focus on technology and learning outcomes in the coming year.”
Brands
Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
