MAM
Ogilvy India CCO Kainaz Karmakar to judge the One Club’s Next Creative Leaders 2023
Mumbai: The One Club for Creativity, in partnership with The 3% Movement, announced that Kainaz Karmakar, CCO at Ogilvy India in Mumbai, is among the 70 creatives from 27 countries to serve on the jury for Next Creative Leaders 2023, a free global competition recognizing women and non-binary creatives on the rise.
Now in its ninth year, Next Creative Leaders is a free portfolio competition that identifies, celebrates, and provides a global platform to talented women and non-binary creatives who are making their mark on the world with both their work and unique points of view on creative leadership that’s changing the industry for the better.
The complete list of 2023 jurors can be viewed here.
Eligible participants for NCL are those stepping into leadership roles, including copywriters, art directors, designers, ACDs, newly promoted creative and design directors with less than one year in the role, and creative teams who are doing game-changing work.
Entries highlighting a candidate’s creativity, leadership, and unique point of view must be submitted by the December 1, 2023 deadline. To make Next Creative Leaders as open and accessible as possible, there is no fee to enter, with a strong push for candidates to self-nominate. Winners will be announced in February 2024.
Along with naming global winners based on the highest jury scores, the competition also recognizes regional winners in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/Africa, and North America. An archive of previous NCL winners, sorted by year, can be viewed here.
Each NCL winner receives a one-year complimentary individual membership with The One Club, with opportunities to participate in future One Club awards juries, and complimentary tickets to a One Club professional development conference ($1,000+ value), panels, and mentorship events.
Winners have their work showcased on The One Club website, promotion on both The 3% Movement and The One Club social channels, and potential opportunities to speak on the annual Next Creative Leaders panel. The global winners also get a dedicated profile article on The One Club website.
Branding for Next Creative Leaders 2023 was designed by Selina Kehuan Wu, an MFA candidate at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, and a Type Directors Club TDC69 competition winner.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
