MAM
Singer India appoints Shalini Gupta Vachher & Suresh Jangra, strengthening leadership team
Mumbai: Singer India Ltd, a 170-year-old company and a leading manufacturer of sewing machines and home appliances has announced the appointment of two senior leaders Shalini Gupta Vachher who joins as head of marketing and communications, and Suresh Jangra, who joins as VP of engineering excellence.
The appointments demonstrate Singer India’s commitment to strengthening its people strategy to support the company’s growth plans. Singer India plans to bring in new products, which will appeal to the new age consumer and is focusing on strengthening its market share with other new launches in the Sewing Machine category.
Singer India vice chairman & MD Rakesh Khanna said,” We welcome the new and experienced talent, who have joined the company at a time when we are shifting gears and working to create a new chapter in our journey, which is marked with growth, innovation and launching an exciting line up of new products. Shalini’s and Suresh’s onboarding is a step in partnering with talent which believes in our values, growth and lineage and is confident of creating a stronger and a better tomorrow with their vast experience in their respective domains.”
Shalini, who joins as head of marketing and communications, comes with more than two decades of experience in the communications industry, counselling and executing impactful campaigns. In her new role, Shalini will work closely with all stakeholders to redesign Singer India’s marketing and communication efforts to create a meaningful impact by focusing on digital marketing and strengthening the company’s communication across all platforms. She will be responsible for developing and executing innovative marketing campaigns that resonate with the new age customers and drive business growth.
Head of marketing and communication Shalini Gupta Vachher said, ” I am excited to be part of a brand which exists in most of the Indian households and one which evokes strong memories. I am looking forward to playing my part in Singer India’s journey of growth and success and I am confident that with a two-decade experience in building strong corporate reputation programs for clients, I will be able to add value to the new chapter, that is being written.”
Suresh Jangra, an accomplished engineer comes with over two decades of international and national experience having worked in companies such as Orient Electric, Carrier India, Metalfrio Solutions, Brazil. Suresh brings with him a deep understanding of product development, quality control, and manufacturing process. In his new role, he will be leading the engineering team, ensuring operational excellence, and driving innovation across Singer India’s product portfolio.
“I am pleased to join Singer India and together with its talented team of engineers, we will aspire to offer customer centric innovation to help Singer India achieve new heights of efficiency and excellence” added Engineering Excellence VP Suresh Jangra.
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.
