Brands
Lessons in profit as Zee Learn makes the grade in December quarter
Education firm sharpens margins as costs cool and earnings stay on course.
MUMBAI: Report cards don’t usually come with punchlines, but Zee Learn Limited delivered one this quarter, posting a stronger showing for the three months ended December 31, 2025, as tighter costs and steadier operations helped lift profitability. For the December quarter, Zee Learn reported revenue from operations of Rs 45.67 crore, compared with Rs 44.35 crore in the same period last year. Including other income of Rs 1.48 crore, total income stood at Rs 47.16 crore, slightly lower than Rs 48.45 crore a year earlier due to reduced non-operating gains.
The real learning curve showed up below the line. Net profit for the quarter rose to Rs 4.20 crore, nearly doubling from Rs 2.16 crore in the corresponding quarter last year and sharply higher than the Rs 0.47 crore posted in the September 2025 quarter. Profit before tax came in at Rs 7.47 crore, reflecting a healthier operating mix.
Expenses during the quarter were kept in check at Rs 39.69 crore, down from Rs 45.72 crore a year ago. Employee benefit expenses stood at Rs 16.06 crore, while selling and marketing costs were Rs 6.79 crore. Finance costs, which had weighed heavily in earlier periods, showed a favourable swing, supporting margins.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Zee Learn posted revenue from operations of Rs 158.66 crore, up from Rs 145.64 crore in the corresponding period last year. Total income for the nine-month period rose to Rs 164.72 crore, compared with Rs 155.17 crore a year earlier.
Net profit for the nine-month period stood at Rs 17.73 crore, an improvement over Rs 14.21 crore reported in the same period last year. Total comprehensive income for the period came in at Rs 17.84 crore, signalling steady momentum across the academic calendar.
For context, the company had reported a net profit of Rs 54.19 crore for the full year ended March 31, 2025, on total income of Rs 285.76 crore, setting a relatively high base for the current year.
With operations spanning formal education and allied services through subsidiaries including Liberium Global Resources, Digital Ventures and Academia Edificio, Zee Learn’s latest numbers suggest the company is quietly passing its financial exams, one quarter at a time.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
