MAM
MiQ bolsters its India commercial leadership team
Mumbai: MiQ, a global data-driven programmatic media firm, announced strategic hiring and promotions to spearhead growth, enhance client services, and reinforce its position as a leading programmatic player in India.
MiQ has announced the appointment of associate vice president, revenue & agency partnerships, Ribhu Mishra with additional focus on driving business operations for the west region. Ribhu brings over a decade of expertise in media and digital advertising, having previously led partnerships and agency development at Amazon for major media agencies across India. His extensive experience at companies like Amazon and Appier will be pivotal in enhancing MiQ’s client relationships and accelerating growth in programmatic, connected TV, and retail media domains.
Speaking on his new role, Ribhu said, “I am thrilled to join MiQ and embark on this exciting journey. I look forward to driving scalable revenue growth and strengthening partnerships with brands and agencies. Together with the MiQ team, I am eager to create new success stories and achieve new milestones.”
To deliver greater value and localised support to clients across key regions in India, MiQ has made two key promotions in its regional commercial leadership team. MiQ elevated Meenal Gupta to regional director for the south region and Juhi Lalchandani to regional director for the north region.
Meenal has been with MiQ for over two years and has over 15 years of experience in business development, client relationship management, and account management in the media and advertising industry with OLX, Hindustan Times, Inmobi, and Yahoo.
Juhi is a seasoned business professional with over 14 years of experience spanning media, food technology, and manufacturing industries. Having contributed to leading companies such as Zee5 and Uber Eats, Juhi has developed a robust expertise in driving revenue growth and managing high-impact accounts.
“I am very excited to take on regional leadership responsibilities. My key focus will be to increase revenue across the South region by expanding our geographical reach and building and nurturing relationships with agencies and clients.” said Meenal on her elevation.
Speaking on her new role, Juhi said, “I firmly believe that the future of digital advertising lies in leveraging data and technology to reach the right users at the right time and place with personalised communication. I am confident that MiQ, with its innovative data and tech DNA and deep customer focus, will set new standards in the industry. I am grateful and thrilled to be a part of this pathbreaking journey.”
These leadership appointments will be pivotal to MiQ’s growth strategy in India by strengthening its presence in key regions and deepening its understanding of client requirements across diverse markets and industries.
Speaking on these appointments, MiQ India & South Asia head of growth and revenue, Varun Mohan said, “We are excited to onboard Ribhu to our regional leadership team, along with the well-deserved elevations of Meenal and Juhi. Their combined expertise, strategic vision, and commitment to excellence will be pivotal as we continue our journey of ambitious growth. These appointments underscore our dedication to providing exceptional solutions and unmatched service to our clients and agency partners. MiQ continues to invest heavily in the Indian market with a strong focus on Connected TV (CTV), retail media, and our innovative data solutions, reaffirming our commitment to lead the programmatic industry and make it better.”
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.
