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Salesforce’s first edition of the Great India Sales & Marketing Summit
Mumbai: Salesforce India organized the first edition of the Great India Sales & Marketing Summit on 24 May 2024. This virtual gathering empowered attendees with invaluable insights into cutting-edge technologies such as AI and their profound impact on sales and marketing functions. Event saw over 10,000 participants.
The event highlighted the importance of digital transformation and the role of AI in achieving organizational success and customer-centricity.
Salesforce India chairperson & CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya kicked off the session by expressing gratitude to the salesblazers and highlighted how sales and marketing drive organizational growth by engaging customers more meaningfully. Emphasizing the need for vibrant sales and marketing teams to foster innovation, she stressed that digital transformation is the key driver towards India becoming the 3rd largest economy in the world. She also discussed how technology, coupled with the AI revolution, is a significant enabler for sales and marketing teams in achieving success.
At the Summit, several sessions explored the power of AI in sales, marketing, and customer service. Salesforce experts showcased how Salesforce uses its own AI products to achieve success.
Kapil Dev: Setting goals and achieving them together
Kapil Dev, former cricketer and captain of the World Cup-winning Indian team, shared leadership insights.
He emphasized the importance of leading from the front, focusing on the process of winning, and recognizing the unique roles of each team member.
He discussed how business leaders can apply these principles to align their teams with business goals.
Ankur Warikoo: Marketing on a mission: maximize your impact, minimize your spend
Ankur Warikoo, a teacher, content creator, and author, shared his expertise on cost-effective marketing strategies.
He offered practical tips for frugal marketing, drawing parallels from successful brands and presenting a five-step approach.
Warikoo highlighted the importance of maximizing impact while minimizing marketing expenditure.
Srikanth Bolla: From hurdles to high performance: scaling your business with a winning mindset
Bollant Industries CEO Srikanth Bolla, shared his inspirational journey from being a differently-abled student in a remote village to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
He discussed how staying focused and true to his roots contributed to his professional achievements.
Srikanth emphasized the importance of perseverance and self-determination in overcoming obstacles and achieving success.
Session highlights:
How Salesforce uses Salesforce
Speaker: Salesforce India Sr director & head of marketing Nipun Sharma
Nipun Sharma offered insights into how Salesforce uses AI tools like Data Cloud and Einstein 1 to drive growth and align sales and marketing.
Start with data, move forward with Tableau
Speaker: Tableau India country head & regional VP Romil Agarwal
Romil Agarwal discussed data-backed decision-making and the potential of generative AI with Tableau.
Mulesoft: Connect, automate & scale AI-powered experiences
Speaker: Mulesoft India head of sales Nehal Mehta
Nehal Mehta explained how Mulesoft integrates data, systems, and AI models for seamless automation.
AI masterclass
Speaker: Dr. Dakshinamurthy V Kolluru
Dr. Kolluru provided a deep dive into AI implementation, showcasing specific use cases and offering an upGrad certification in AI.
LinkedIn + Salesforce: A winning combination
Speakers: LinkedIn group head, B2B product marketing Alyce Erikson; LinkedIn senior director, product management Ajay Datta
They showcased how Salesforce integrates with LinkedIn’s B2B solutions to engage audiences and generate leads.
Accelerate growth with trusted AI
Speaker: Salesforce head of solution engineering, SMB business Tanmaiy Chandanshive.
Tanmaiy Chandanshive discussed how generative AI can drive productivity and customer-centricity.
Fireside chat with Suraj Dodeja
Speakers: Vashi Integrated Solutions CEO Suraj Dodeja
Suraj Dodeja shared how Salesforce’s solutions enhanced their omnichannel efficiency and customer visibility.
Drive customer experience and loyalty with data and AI
Speaker: Salesforce director, solutions engineering Ritesh Chauhan
Ritesh Chauhan discussed building customer experience and loyalty using AI and Data Cloud.
Slack: The AI-powered platform for work
Speaker: AVP & head of slack, service cloud, & platform Rahul Sharma
Rahul Sharma demonstrated how Slack enhances team productivity through AI and workflow automation.
Fireside chat with Satya Machiraju
Speakers: Rahul Sharma; Whatfix VP, IT & information security Satya Machiraju
Satya Machiraju shared how Whatfix leverages Slack for product analytics and process reengineering.
Elevating customer experiences with AI-driven service
Speaker: Salesforce director, product management, service cloud Abhisek Dash
Abhisek Dash showcased how AI revolutionizes customer service through predictive analytics and intelligent case routing.
DPDP Act 2023: Stay ahead and secure your data with Salesforce
Speaker: Salesforce principal specialist SE, Amin Rehman
Amin Rehman provided an overview of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and how Salesforce supports data security and privacy management.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
