MAM
Piyush Pandey to take charge as Ogilvy global CCO
MUMBAI: Advertising Company Ogilvy has announced that chairman of Ogilvy India, Piyush Pandey will be promoted to the role of worldwide chief creative officer. He will be replacing Tham Khai Meng who was discharged in July. Pandey’s role will commence from 1 January 2019.
Pandey will also hold on to his responsibilities as the chairman of Ogilvy India and will remain based in Mumbai. From next year he will be working in cooperation with Ogilvy’s global chief executive John Seifert and will look after the creative standards at the company.
Ogilvy also announced that it will expand its Worldwide Creative Council from 12 members to 20; the 20 members—of which half will be comprised of female creative leaders—will be announced in January of 2019. At last year’s Cannes Lions, Ogilvy announced its commitment (in partnership with the 3% Movement) to recruit 20 senior women in creative globally by 2020.
Ogilvy Worldwide chief executive John Seifert said, “We could not be more thrilled that Piyush will be serving as our chief creative officer, worldwide and my creative partner. Piyush is a true industry icon who is uniquely suited to lead our global creative efforts. Creativity has and will always be at the heart of the Ogilvy brand and culture. Piyush is the perfect leader to shepherd that legacy as we continue to focus on making brands matter as the leading creative network in the world.”
Seifert told Campaign India that he had considered both internal and external candidates for the global creative role. He said, “I wanted someone who would be a real partner to me and who would be true to the creative spirit of our founder David Ogilvy, But it was very clear that Piyush was the right candidate for the role.”
Seifert continued, “Piyush is deeply rooted in society and culture and the humanness of our world. He’s also someone who doesn’t look backwards, only forwards, and who is enthusiastic, excited and humble. He’s someone everyone can be inspired by.”
Seifert believes that his working partnership with Pandey would become a model for Ogilvy offices around the world, as he said, “To date, we hadn’t really galvanised our network to ensure creativity is the lifeblood of everything we do, Piyush will now help me drive that.”
Meanwhile, Ogilvy US CCO Joe Sciarotta has been appointed as deputy chief creative officer, worldwide and will report to Pandey and Seifert.
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.
