MAM
Om Jha levels up: From Pepsico prodigy to global media maestro
MUMBAI: Five and a half years ago, Om Jha took his first sip of Pepsico’s high-energy corporate culture—nervous, excited, and ready to shake things up. Now, with a portfolio of impactful marketing, media, and data-driven campaigns under his belt, he is stepping into the future with a brand-new role in the company’s global media & transformation team. From Gurgaon to Plano, Texas, Jha’s journey has been nothing short of fizz-tastic. But what’s next? Let’s pop the cap and find out.
“I was stepping in to do something I had never done before,” Jha reminisced about his early days at Pepsico. “Thanks to Vishal Kaul for hiring me and introducing me to the world of possibilities, and thanks to George Kovoor and Anshul Khanna for letting me define my own role with every passing year.”
Jha didn’t just dip his toes into the Pepsico pool—he dived in headfirst. As head of media & partnerships (2019–2022), he spearheaded efforts to connect Pepsico’s legendary brands with consumers using a potent mix of media, data, and technology. He led high-stakes advertising and marketing negotiations, ensuring every penny squeezed out more efficiency and effectiveness.
By 2022, he stepped up as director – media, data, marketing capabilities & partnerships. Here, he architected a robust first-party data-led marketing infrastructure, setting the stage for cutting-edge digital campaigns and award-winning brand partnerships.
Fast forward to March 2025, and Jha is now embracing his biggest role yet—director of global media capabilities. This new challenge places him at the intersection of global strategy and transformation, a role tailor-made for someone who thrives on the ever-evolving media landscape.
But Pepsico is just one stop in Jha’s dynamic career. Before this, he was assistant vice president – customer strategy at Disney Star (2018-2019), where he led the strategy vertical for the northern region, handling TV and digital ad sales revenue across multiple entertainment portfolios. Prior to that, he spent nearly two years as senior director – strategy at GroupM, simplifying media and technology for brands while driving insights-based performance marketing.
Jha’s journey also took him through the telecom world. At Airtel (2015-2016), he headed business planning & consumer insights for the Delhi circle, overseeing operational strategy, financial planning, and product pricing. Before that, he honed his consulting expertise at KPMG India (2014-2015), managing large-scale business transformation projects.
His early career included a five-year stint at Idea Cellular Ltd, where he worked as chief of staff in the MD’s office, focusing on corporate strategy and operations. He also gained experience in engineering and manufacturing at Mahindra Group (2005-2007), before transitioning into business roles.
“A huge thank you to Shyam Venugopal and Abhishek Jadon for this opportunity,” Jha said, his excitement as palpable as the fizz in a freshly opened Pepsi can.
Corporate careers are a bit like carbonated drinks—always under pressure, occasionally shaken, but ultimately, they’re all about making a splash. And if Jha’s track record is anything to go by, he’s about to pop the lid on something truly groundbreaking.
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.
