MAM
Wing Commander RD Deshpande (retired) joins PR Professionals as president
Mumbai: PR Professionals, the flagship company of the PRP Group, announced the appointment of Wing Commander RD Deshpande (retired) as president of defence business and HR services. This strategic appointment marks a significant step in strengthening its leadership team and expanding the company’s expertise in the defence sector and HR services.
Wing Commander RD Deshpande joins PR Professionals following his tenure with Byju’s where he led the learning and development function and spearheaded critical initiatives aimed at organizational development. With a distinguished military career spanning 22 years, he brings a wealth of leadership experience and specialized knowledge to the existing, diversified, and experience-rich team at PRP Group.
A decorated military veteran, WinCo RD is a recipient of the prestigious “Chief of Air Staff Commendation” for exemplary leadership during his career in the Indian Air Force. He has also held leadership roles in esteemed organizations, such as; Reliance Retail Ltd., Byju’s, ISHRAE, and Critical Care Unified Pvt. Ltd. An alumnus of some of India’s most esteemed institutions, such as; IIM Ahmedabad, Air Force Academy, Air Force Administrative College, Air Force Intelligence School, and the National Defence Academy, WinCo RD has honed his expertise and developed niche through rigorous academic and professional training. Apart from these, he has also successfully completed courses from the globally renowned institutions, like; XLRI, Jamshedpur and Jack Welch Management Institute, Strayer University, U.S.
At PR Professionals, WinCo RD will lead its Defence business along with HR Services. It is aligned with the Vision of the Founder and Managing Director, PRP Group, Dr. Sarvesh Tiwari and this expansion marks the very thought-through and robust strengthening plans of the company.
Dr Sarvesh shared “We are delighted to welcome Wing Commander RD Deshpande to the PRP family. His extensive experience in defence and corporate leadership, coupled with his expertise in HR, PR and learning & development, will prove to be invaluable for the company as we expand our offerings and reinforce our commitment to excellence. His unique experiences and perspectives from the armed forces, sound knowledge and stellar educational background adds a professional flavor to the team. We are confident that his visionary approach and strategic insights will drive significant growth and innovation for our clients and the organization.”
With over 28 years of rich and diversified experience in “people functions”, WinCo RD is a visionary, strategist and an expert in defining policies, processes, and implementing reforms. He is a certified behavioral trainer, excelling in ‘outbound, facilitation, and experiential training’. He is also an ‘executive presence coach’.
Commenting on his appointment, Wing Commander RD Deshpande said, “I am thrilled to join PRP family and am eager to contribute to the company’s mission of excellence in Defence business and HR Services. I am excited and at the same time committed to drive impactful initiatives and support the growth of our clients and the organization.”
PR Professionals has significantly expanded its senior leadership team, further bolstering its ranks with seasoned professionals. Most recently, the company welcomed Nishant Singhal as president strategy. Furthermore, in the preceding year, PR Professionals made strategic appointments to enhance its leadership cadre. Varun Aggarwal was appointed as assistant vice president (AVP) for business development, bringing his wealth of experience and expertise to drive business expansion initiatives forward. Additionally, the company added Sanjay Singh to its team, a distinguished media and PR veteran, who assumed the role of vice president.
PR Professionals is an integrated communications company that has been delivering quality and excellence since 2011 and has also initiated several philanthropic activities. It provides end-to-end branding and customized public relations solutions that enable businesses to become market leaders. From humble beginnings, PRP today has 12 offices in India and six offices in offshore locations. The 150-member team shares Tiwari’s passion for doing extraordinary things in PR and making a difference to the underprivileged through philanthropic activities.
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.
