Brands
Victorinox elevates Sengupta to top sales and marketing post
MUMBAI: Victorinox, the Swiss firm best known for its pocket knives and premium watches, has promoted Debraj Sengupta to managing director of sales and marketing, capping his impressive 15-year tenure with the company.
Sengupta, who was previously country head for watches and chief marketing officer across four product categories, steps into his new role with over three decades of experience in the luxury watch industry under his belt.
The promotion marks a crowning achievement for the executive who during his stint at Victorinox, has carved out an enviable position for the Swiss company in India’s premium watch segment, slicing through competition with a precision that would make one of the firm’s famous Swiss Army knives proud.
Sengupta’s track record at Victorinox includes expanding the company’s distribution network to more than 150 multi-brand watch stores across India, forging partnerships with major retailers including Helios and Ethos.
After joining Victorinox in 2010, he oversaw the successful launch and repositioning of the Swiss watch brand in the Indian market. His performance eventually earned him a promotion to chief marketing officer in 2016, adding responsibility for the firm’s travel gear, Swiss Army knives and cutlery divisions to his watch duties.
Before joining Victorinox, Sengupta spent three years at LVMH Watch and Jewelry, where he managed the Tag Heuer and Dior watch brands. Prior to that, he put in nearly seven years at Swatch Group, working with its Rado and Balmain brands.
In his LinkedIn profile—which reads like a luxury brand roll call—Sengupta describes himself as a “P&L maestro” and “market expansion specialist” who has “mastered the strategic oversight and development of elite watch brands.”
Victorinox, which opened its first flagship store in Mumbai in 2011, now operates six exclusive boutiques across major Indian cities, selling everything from its iconic red pocket knives to high-end chronographs.
With Sengupta at the helm of sales and marketing, the Swiss firm appears poised to cut deeper into India’s luxury retail market.
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.
