MAM
Ogilvy India makes key top-level appointments
MUMBAI: Advertising agency Ogilvy India has announced the appointment of Prem Narayan as its new chief strategy officer and Balagopalan Ganapathy as the new head of planning, Ogilvy Mumbai. Narayan and Ganapathy have started in their respective roles with immediate effect.
In his capacity as chief strategy officer, Narayan will lead the planning team to drive the national agenda. He will also continue to partner the CCOs and business heads to deliver creative solutions to clients nationally. Narayan will report directly to Kunal Jeswani.
Narayan has been with Ogilvy since 2004. He has been part of the team that pioneered the planning function in the agency. He has worked on many clients during this journey – Asian Paints, Bajaj, Blue Star, Castrol, Ceat, GreenPly, ICICI Bank, MP Birla Group, Tata Motors, Tata Sky, Unilever, Zandu to name a few. He has partnered creative agencies to generate outstanding work with brands like Asian Paints, Tata Safari, Bru, Hamam and Red Label. He has won the respect and love of all clients, creative and client servicing partners he has worked with. He has won many Effies on his brands (including last year’s AME agency of year).
Ogilvy India vice chairman and director of client relation Madhukar Sabnavis says, “Prem and Ganapathy are two accomplished planners of Ogilvy who have contributed to function in the last decade; their promotion is a recognition of this. They are the ideal next generation planners to take Ogilvy Planning in India to the next level.”
Ganapathy, aka Guns, will report to Narayan and work with the city business heads and CCOs to drive the planning agenda for Mumbai office. Guns has been part of the planning team since 2005. He has built strong relationships and been part of the team that has done stellar work on brands such as Asian Paints, Bajaj, Cadbury, Home Center, JSW, ITC and Pidilite to name a few. He has been the agency’s Effectiveness Champion for years- and the first and only IPA winner for Cadbury Dairy Milk in 2013. Guns is a much admired planning leader who has won the love and respect of every client he has worked with.
Ogilvy India CEO Kunal Jeswani adds, “Ogilvy is, and has always been, a place full of opportunity and growth for talent that shines. Prem and Guns represent the best of Ogilvy, not just as planners but as Ogilvy Ambassadors. I am excited to see them lead change in our industry and our company, driving integrated strategy and planning across our brands and disciplines.”
Both of them a part of the training faculty at Ogilvy and have conducted several training programs for the young talent in Ogilvy.
Brands
Ola Electric revenue falls, losses continue in December quarter
Company cuts expenses and seeks fresh funds as sales slow and regulators raise questions.
MUMBAI: It seems Ola Electric is currently navigating a bit of a patchy connection, and we are not just talking about a dropped Bluetooth sync on the dashboard. The electric vehicle (EV) giant’s latest financial results for the quarter ended 31 December 2025 have hit the wires, and the numbers are looking more short circuit than supercharged.
The company’s consolidated revenue from operations for the December quarter came in at Rs 470 crore, a significant deceleration from the Rs 690 crore recorded in the preceding quarter. The comparison to the same period last year is even more stark, when revenue stood at a much loftier Rs 1,045 crore. Despite a small recharge of Rs 18 crore from previously unclaimed government subsidies under the EMP5-2024 and PM E-Drive schemes, the overall income trajectory has clearly lost its torque.
Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 504 crore, while the bottom line remained firmly in the red, with a quarterly loss of Rs 487 crore. For the nine-month period ending December 2025, the total accumulated loss has now ballooned to a staggering Rs 1,333 crore.
In an effort to keep the wheels from falling off, Ola has been aggressively downshifting its expenditure. Total expenses for the quarter were slashed to Rs 741 crore, a massive drop from the Rs 1,505 crore spent during the same quarter the previous year.
This belt-tightening suggests a pivot toward leaner operations as the company attempts to find a sustainable cruising speed. However, even with these deep cuts, the going concern tag is being sustained largely by Rs 1,503 crore in remaining IPO proceeds, along with a fresh shareholder approval to raise another Rs 1,500 crore through equity or convertible securities.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and SEBI have also been examining the matter closely, questioning why Ola’s press claims did not align with official Vahan portal data. The company had earlier announced 25,000 units sold in February 2025, but has now clarified to regulators that this figure referred to vehicle bookings rather than final registrations. Under Ola’s accounting policy, a sale is recognised only once the scooter is delivered and registered. Management maintains that this clarification will not have a material impact on the financials, although it has certainly raised eyebrows in the market.
The group’s cash flow situation remains under pressure. For the nine months ended 31 December 2025, Ola reported a negative cash flow from operations of Rs 866 crore, attributing it primarily to lower-than-expected growth in sales volume.
Adding to the complexity are the new Labour Codes. The company has already factored in an additional Rs 5.06 crore in liabilities due to changes in wage definitions affecting gratuity. Meanwhile, the Cell segment, which represents Ola’s major bet on battery manufacturing, is still at an early stage. It contributed just Rs 9 crore to revenue, compared to Rs 407 crore from the automotive segment.
As Ola attempts to navigate this financial fog, the message is clear: the road to an electric future is paved with expensive ambitions. For now, the company is applying the brakes to avoid a deeper skid.
