MAM
We want to professionalise the Indian OOH industry: Ashish Bhasin
MUMBAI: While many Indian outdoor agencies are still struggling to get their due recognition, there are a few that have changed the game. One name that is worth mentioning is Milestone Brandcom. According to sources, the five year old agency has annual revenues over Rs 320 crore and is a leading outdoor company based on billings.
Things are going to get even better for the agency from now on. Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired majority share in Milestone Brandcom. With the acquisition of OOH agency, combined with Posterscope, a Dentsu Aegis Network’s global outdoor media agency, the network has strengthened its roots in this space.
Nabendu Bhattacharyya will continue as CEO and managing director of Milestone Brandcom and will report to Dentsu Aegis Network south Asia chairman and CEO Ashish Bhasin.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia chairman and CEO Ashish Bhasin mentions, “With rapid retail expansion and ever evolving transmit media there is a lot that can be done in the outdoor industry. We added Milestone Brandcom in our family because there is a fit. Nabendu and his team are extremely passionate about this space. We hope that the move will help professionalise the Indian OOH industry.”
“This investment now establishes clear leadership for us in the medium, making us the leader in the OOH and OOH Retail space in India. We believe that OOH will play an increasingly important role for clients in years to come so we are delighted to be able to offer clients a market leading service,” adds Bhasin.
Bhattacharyya is extremely thrilled to join hands with Dentsu Aegis Network. “The main idea behind this development is to understand global practices better and execute them here. Our philosophy is very similar to Dentsu Aegis Network’s and we are confident that as market leaders we will continue to be at the forefront in the business,” he says.
With a 175 strong team of specialists, Milestone Brandcom is the most awarded OOH agency in India with clients like Colors, McDonalds, Axis Bank, L’oreal etc. The agency also has many other verticals such as event promotion, activation division, rural OOH activation, retail and digital OOH division.
It was recently when Milestone Brandcom had launched ‘Milestone Optimizer’, a powerful tool which optimises OOH media plans by tracking 25,000 sites across India and providing Gross Impression Points of an OOH campaign, which is one of its kinds in the country. The company will retain its identity, branding and culture and share its knowledge in creative and OOH planning with the group.
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.
