MAM
Promax India Conference and Awards 2022: Focuses on engaging content, creativity, marketing ideas and others
Mumbai: Promax India is back with its 20th edition of Promax India Conference and Awards 2022 to be held in Mumbai on the 10-11 August, 2022 with workshops, sessions, one-to-one engagement with the speakers and honouring the best at the most awaited Promax India Awards 2022.
Amazon Prime Video India head Aparna Purohit is the Awards Chair for this year.
For Promax India, this year marks a milestone as it completes 20 remarkable years of honouring the best brands for their creativity, innovation, and storytelling. The coveted Promax India Awards introduced new additions this year. Some of the new categories include Best Static Image, Best Voice-Over Performance, and Best Social Media Content.
Additionally, brands will also compete for The Creative Brand of the Year category.
Some of the best minds in the industry will be hosting workshops titled, “The New Promo 10 Commandments” with the popular Rob Middleton, mentor-holding little promotions and marketing hands all across Asia for almost three decades now.
Dynamite Design’s Sheetal Sudhir pitches in with principles and theory of motion and how you can use that to give a brand deeper values and dimension; digital mantras by RT Digital deputy creative & innovations director Ivor Crotty brings to us stories that build bridges; at the heart of building digital audiences is the power of the story, and the mantras of storytelling are at the centre of our endeavour. His mantra: what do you need to do to give your story the power to push through and to bring your audience with you on the journey?
The essential masterclass session for all broadcast marketing professionals—whether new to writing briefs or looking for time-saving tips and hacks—is being presented by The Brief Doctor: Tim Hughes. His session explains how to maximise creative output by focussing on audience needs and business goals by setting a simple and effective creative strategy and managing through stakeholders.
Some of the sessions to look out for are by well-known speakers – Trailer Voice Artists Agency owner Brent Hagel, Lee Hunt LLC founder Lee Hunt, Comedy Central voiceover artist Rahul Mulani, FX Network EVP marketing and on-air Stephanie Gibbons.
Over the coming weeks, the speakers’ highlights will be shared based on their exchange of viewpoints and ideas.
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.
