MAM
Publicis In-Motion appoints Shonali Sharma as head of Arc Worldwide’s Delhi office
Mumbai: Publicis In-Motion on Monday announced the appointment of Shonali Sharma as head of Arc Worldwide’s Delhi office.
“Shonali will head an adept team of experts and focus on making Arc Worldwide a preferred partner for brands looking to ace their customer connect across channels and platforms,” said the statement. Shonali will closely work with the India leadership team of Arc worldwide helmed by Pravin Vadhera.
Shonali brings with her eighteen years of experience in experiential marketing, brand development, sports marketing, integrated marketing and communication. In the past, she has worked with agencies like Candid Marketing Services, Ogilvy Action, Cheil Communications, along with managing the PGAI Tour and launching Delhi Daredevils at the IPL. She has worked across a range of brands from telecom (Idea, Vodafone, Motorola), FMCG (Pepsi, Cadbury’s, Revlon, Samsung) and media (National Geographic, Discovery Networks) to technology (Microsoft, Lenovo) and pharma (Novartis) amongst others. Her work has earned her numerous awards.
“In 2022, Publicis In-Motion is looking at scaling up in a big way,” said Publicis In-Motion head Praveen Vadhera. “I am thrilled to have Shonali on board. She brings with her expansive experience and keen insight into future trends. I am excited about the value we can create for our clients with her expertise.”
“I am excited to be a part of Arc’s continued success in India,” said Shonali Sharma. “Parveen has always been a great visionary and the team in India has an eclectic mix in terms of skill sets and an attractive client portfolio across our group companies. I want to leverage my expertise and creativity to complement these skills and help clients further unlock their potential through innovative and effective experiential marketing strategies.”
A part of Publicis Groupe India, Publicis In-Motion is a specialist entity focused on building brands by creating experiences and engagement with consumers while they are on the move. It has a team of 150 professionals and its expertise lies in crafting ideas that move people to like, share, participate, advocate and explore brands, thereby moving them to purchase.
Arc Worldwide specialises in brand activation, experiential engagement and shopper marketing. In India, Arc has been the partner of choice for leading brands like Diageo, Acko, Airtel, Isuzu, and HP to name a few. Most recently the team executed the launch of Airtel’s 5G experience with the recreation of in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s legendary 175 run innings from the 1983 Cricket World Cup with India’s first live 5G powered hologram.
Shonali is deeply passionate about the impact of art on society’s culture and has launched a label called ‘Breathe’ – a unique initiative to make art more accessible in everyday life thereby supporting local artists. ‘Breathe’ brings together works of various artists in the form of soulful, ethical merchandise – apparel, stationery and home décor.
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.
