MAM
Pogo announces ‘Fashion Guru’ contest for budding designers
Mumbai: This November, My Scene Dolls, the Barbie brand from Mattel Toys in association with Pogo brings an all India contest Fashion Guru for budding designers.
This contest, hosted by Prime Pogo host Chinu, will end on 28 November and will help India discover its youngest fashion designer. Creative minds will have to send in their designs based on the My Scene Barbie doll themes, taking inspiration from them and learning through My Scene fashion tips in the process, states an official release.
Three lucky winners will get their share of fame, glory by sharing screen space with Chinu on Prime Pogo and the chance to dress her in their own creation! They will also be crowned the Fashion Guru on Pogo. The lucky winners will be eligible to win fabulous prizes, adds the release.
“The recent popularity with older girl-targeted dolls has brought new excitement to the fashion doll category and dispelled the myth that girls aged 8 to 10 are less interested in fashion dolls,” says Mattel Toys (I) VP Marketing Nanette D’sa, “It is extremely important to keep up with the changing trends of today. Nowadays young girls are so fashion-conscious and spend a large amount of time thinking and styling their own outfits. Hence we thought that partnering with a channel like Pogo is the apt medium to reach young creative and imaginative mind”.
Turner International India Pvt. Ltd vice president advertising sales Monica Tata said, “In true Pogo style, the contest will once again provide kids with a sense of ownership and a feeling of “its my TV”, by offering lucky winners the dream chance to dress Chinu.”
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.
