MAM
Paresh Chaudhry joins Madison PR as CEO
MUMBAI: Paresh Chaudhry has joined as Madison PR. The current CEO Veena Gidwani retires after a stint of 12 years on 30 June.
Chaudhry will be based out of Mumbai.
With over 24 years of experience in brand communication and reputation management experience across industries and key global markets, Chaudhry has worked with companies like Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Ranbaxy and Wockhardt. His last assignment was as group president -corporate communications, Reliance Industries where he reported to Reliance Industries Limited chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani. At RIL he was responsible for putting together systems and processes for effective global (internal and external) communications at RIL.
Through the years, Chaudhry has been involved in building the Ranbaxy‘s corporate brand in North America, Europe and India. He was also associated with the campaign for aligning regional communication country teams to bring alive â€?the transition to one Unilever brand‘ and driving the corporate name change from ‘HLL‘ to â€?HUL‘. He is also the founder President of the Indian Forum of Corporate Communicators (IFCC).
Madison World chairman and managing director Sam Balsara said, “Paresh‘s cross client category and cross country experience should help him add great value to our FMCG clients. Veena has done a wonderful job in building Madison PR into a specialist Brand PR consultancy and meeting the professional needs of our over 40 clients in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune and I wish her a very happy and fulfilling life ahead.”
Chaudhry said, “I am delighted with the opportunity to work with Madison PR that has carved out a distinct and distinguished niche within the industry and is known for its strong values and relationships with some of the best known companies in Corporate India. I look forward to working with Sam & his team of professionals to take Madison PR to the next level.”
Madison PR is a 12-year-old image management company specialising in innovative brand building techniques and campaigns. Its clients includes the likes of Procter & Gamble, Britannia, Godrej, Levis, Caf?© Coffee Day, Titan Fastrack, Parle Agro and many other brands; and has offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune.
Brands
Jio Financial Services posts Rs 1,560 crore FY26 profit
Revenue rises to Rs 3,513 crore as investments and lending scale up.
MUMBAI: If money makes the world go round, Jio Financial Services Limited is quietly spinning a much bigger wheel. The Reliance-backed financial arm reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,560.9 crore for FY26, slightly lower than Rs 1,612.6 crore in FY25, even as revenue growth gathered pace.
Total revenue from operations rose sharply to Rs 3,513.3 crore in FY26 from Rs 2,042.9 crore a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in interest income, which more than doubled to Rs 1,901.9 crore from Rs 852.5 crore. Fee and commission income also saw a significant jump to Rs 597 crore, compared to Rs 155.2 crore in FY25, reflecting expanding financial services activity.
For the March quarter, profit stood at Rs 272.2 crore, broadly flat compared to Rs 269 crore in the same period last year. Quarterly revenue from operations climbed to Rs 1,018.5 crore, up from Rs 493.2 crore year-on-year, signalling steady momentum in core income streams.
Expenses, however, moved in tandem with growth. Total costs nearly quadrupled to Rs 1,982.9 crore in FY26 from Rs 524.8 crore in FY25, with finance costs alone rising to Rs 745.1 crore from just Rs 7.7 crore a year earlier, reflecting increased borrowing and scale of operations. Employee expenses also grew to Rs 387.3 crore, while other expenses expanded to Rs 755 crore.
Profit before tax stood at Rs 1,911.7 crore for the year, slightly below Rs 1,946.9 crore in FY25. After accounting for a total tax outgo of Rs 350.8 crore, the company reported its final net profit figure.
Beyond the income statement, the balance sheet tells a story of rapid expansion. Total assets surged to Rs 1,63,497 crore as of March 31, 2026, up from Rs 1,33,510 crore a year earlier. Investments alone stood at Rs 1,33,088.7 crore, underscoring the company’s strong focus on treasury and financial asset growth.
However, the year also saw sharp volatility in other comprehensive income, which swung to a loss of Rs 16,028.3 crore, largely driven by fair value changes in equity instruments. This dragged total comprehensive income for FY26 to a negative Rs 15,756.1 crore, compared to a positive Rs 14,870 crore in FY25.
On the capital front, the company’s paid-up equity share capital remained steady at Rs 6,353.1 crore, with other equity rising to Rs 1,27,500.5 crore.
The numbers reflect a business in transition scaling rapidly across lending, investments and fee-based services, but also navigating the volatility that comes with mark-to-market movements in financial assets. In other words, while the top line is accelerating, the fine print still carries a few swings.
