Brands
Wellness with a star glow as Mrunal Thakur joins EBG’s Carlton journey
MUMBAI: When wellness meets star power, the spotlight shifts from indulgence to intention. EBG Group has onboarded Mrunal Thakur as brand ambassador for Carlton Wellness, marking a strategic step in its push to build a regulated, premium wellness-hospitality platform in India. The partnership comes into effect from FY 2025–26 and will anchor Carlton’s next phase of brand building and expansion.
Under the association, Mrunal Thakur will front Carlton Wellness’s brand films, digital narratives, experiential campaigns and flagship property launches, which will roll out in phases across the country. The move signals EBG Group’s intent to position Carlton Wellness at the intersection of preventive healthcare, longevity and conscious luxury.
Announcing the partnership, EBG Group chairman and founder Irfan Khan said the actor’s public persona aligns closely with Carlton’s philosophy of balance, authenticity and mindful living. The brand, he added, is focused on building a scalable wellness ecosystem that blends clinical depth with experiential wellbeing rather than superficial luxury.
Carlton Wellness is being developed as an integrated platform spanning wellness resorts, destination retreats, city and hotel-based spas, and wellness-led residences. Its model combines Ayurveda, naturopathy, mindfulness and hydrotherapy, adapting global wellness standards to Indian lifestyles with a clear focus on preventive care and long-term quality of life.
Several Carlton Wellness spa formats are already operational within premium hospitality and real-estate developments, while flagship retreat and resort projects are at advanced stages in Ahmedabad, Indore and Manipal. Expansion plans are also underway across Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Manipal, strengthening the brand’s metro and Tier-1 presence.
Looking ahead to 2026, the roadmap becomes more ambitious. Carlton Wellness plans 20–30 new urban spas, 4–6 destination retreats, 2–3 boutique wellness resorts, and 1–2 luxury wellness residential or vacation home projects across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and select NCR markets.
Backed by this pipeline, the EBG–Carlton platform is projecting revenues of Rs 80–120 crore in FY 2025–26, scaling to Rs 180–250 crore in FY 2026–27, driven by spa operations, memberships, retreats, licensing models and managed wellness residences.
Over the next five years, the alliance aims to cross 50 wellness touchpoints nationwide by 2027–28 and position itself by 2029–30 as India’s largest regulated wellness network, with international forays planned into GCC and Southeast Asia.
With Mrunal Thakur as its public face, Carlton Wellness is signalling a shift in how wellness is sold in India less about fleeting luxury, more about longevity, credibility and scale.
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.
