MAM
Mindshare India announces changes in key leadership
MUMBAI: Mindshare, a media agency from GroupM, today announced a major rejig of leadership roles in line with the agency’s efforts to stay adaptive, agile and innovative. These leaders have all been groomed from within the agency.
Harsh Deep Chhabra takes on the role of SVP, Mindshare Fulcrum with immediate effect. In his last five years in the company, he has played an instrumental role in the growth of team Fulcrum at Mindshare and ensuring value creation for Hindustan Unilever. Harsh has also played a critical role in managing the strategic digital mandate.
As Mindshare re-orients its business around the pillars of “Acceleration”, “Outcomes” and a “Refreshed Neo”, there have been key changes in the leadership of its Content+ practice and Neo India as well.
Ajay Mehta moves to the role of SVP Content+. In his new role, he will take on national responsibilities for Entertainment & Sports (ESP), Branded Content, Music & IP Creation along with the Experiential Marketing practice. His responsibilities also include South Asia Content+ mandate for Unilever.
Nikhil Mayne has been designated VP Content+. His responsibilities include developing the Social Media practice and driving the creation of Agile content that powers performance marketing. He will also drive the ESP & Branded Content practice for m/SIX India.
Samraat Kakkar, who has driven the Digital practice for Mindshare North & East, will take on the role of VP Neo India. Neo is a proven expert in Performance Marketing globally and partners Mindshare in driving integrated solutions for clients across Brand & Demand.
Mindshare South Asia COO Amin Lakhani said: “We at Mindshare strive to keep our clients ahead of the curve and our people agile and integrated. All these leaders have proven their abilities to deliver desired outcomes and beyond even in challenging situations. I am positive that the new structure will help us achieve maximum impact for our clients and create more value for our teams”
Mindshare South Asia CEO MA Parthasarthy said: “As the industry is staring at unexpected times, it is imperative for us as an agency to be future-ready. We are delighted to have such experienced leaders within the agency, who are future-focused and skilled to deliver disruptive business thinking for our clients”
Brands
Oracle layoffs affect up to 30,000 employees globally
Job cuts span US, India and more, staff cite abrupt emails, uncertainty.
MUMBAI: April began with an inbox shock and for thousands, it ended with an exit. Oracle has carried out a sweeping round of layoffs, impacting an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees across its global operations, even as the company continues to report strong business performance. The job cuts were communicated via emails sent early on April 1, affecting staff across multiple regions including the United States, India, Canada and parts of Latin America. The reduction spans a wide range of roles and functions, though the company has not disclosed specific criteria behind the decisions.
In the days following the layoffs, employees have taken to platforms such as LinkedIn to share their experiences, many describing the process as abrupt and unsettling. Several posts pointed to a lack of prior indication, with notifications arriving suddenly in early-morning messages.
A recurring concern has been the impact on long-tenured staff. Users reported that employees with decades of experience were among those let go, raising broader questions about job security even for seasoned professionals within large technology firms.
The layoffs have also sparked anxiety about the wider direction of the sector. As companies continue to invest heavily in automation and artificial intelligence, workforce recalibration is becoming more common often accompanied by uncertainty around future roles and skills.
For many affected employees, the immediate challenge lies in navigating career transitions in an increasingly competitive job market, with posts reflecting concerns about stability and next steps.
The development comes against a backdrop of strong financial performance at Oracle, which recently reported a 22 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, alongside continued growth in its cloud infrastructure business. The company has also been committing significant capital towards artificial intelligence and data centre expansion.
The contrast between growth and job cuts has added to the unease, underscoring a broader shift in how large technology firms balance expansion with efficiency sometimes at the cost of the very workforce that helped build that growth.
