MAM
WPP hires former Accenture executive Prashant Mehta to lead its India GDC
MUMBAI: WPP is betting big on India. The creative transformation company early on 12 December announced that it was pumping more bucks into India by scaling up its global delivery centre (GDC) operation in the country. It has brought on board former Accenture executive Prashant Mehta as managing director to lead it with the responsibility of accelerating its growth globally, with the highest concentration of talent based in India.
The specialist capability hub, which is accessible to all WPP agency teams around the world, will be headquartered in India. This further commitment to the market follows the November 2024 announcement of a new campus in Chennai, WPP’s third after Mumbai and Gurugram.
India’s is among its top 10 growing markets and a major source of tech innovation and creativity, and the company has been strategically scaling up its GDC team in the country.. Building on the company’s 11,000-strong workforce in the country, the GDC takes advantage of the significant resources and strong foundation of specialist expertise already in place to further accelerate WPP’s presence in the market.
The GDC currently employs 10,000 people around the world and plays a critical role in WPP’s business transformation and simplification strategy. It unlocks WPP’s best-in-class specialist capabilities such as cloud modernisation, hyper-personalisation, composable commerce, VR and XR experiences, generative AI and product engineering to offer fully integrated and innovative solutions for clients. These services will complement existing agency expertise across media, content, customer experience (CX), commerce, technology, data and design.
Prashant is an experienced digital transformation expert and joins WPP from Accenture, where he was global managing director of global assets at Accenture Song, responsible for its generative AI-led asset strategy, delivery and adoption. Prior to Accenture, he was the global chief product and delivery officer for Dentsu Creative & Experience, and group VP at Publicis Sapient.
“Our GDC enables agency teams and their clients to tap into specialist expertise and new capabilities, “ said WPP CEO Mark Read. “It is underpinned by WPP Open, our AI-driven operating system for marketing transformation, fuelling growth and connecting the dots across our business. I welcome Prashant to WPP and look forward to working with him to develop our offering.”
WPP country manager for India CVL Srinivas, added: “As we look to drive further growth and transformation in and from India, we are excited to welcome Prashant Mehta onboard. The expertise of our team in India makes it the prime location to power our clients’ needs with a scaled world-class GDC.”
Prashant Mehta pointed out: “It is an honour to be leading the WPP GDC, which has been built to evolve with the changing demands of our clients while delivering the highest standards of excellence. I look forward to working with our integrated teams as we harness AI and creativity to transform how we deliver growth for our clients.”
Brands
Sapphire Foods FY26 revenue rises to Rs 3,125 crore, posts loss
Q4 revenue at Rs 792 crore, FY26 loss at Rs 32 crore amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: If growth is on the menu, profitability seems to have taken a brief detour. Sapphire Foods India reported a steady rise in topline for FY26, even as rising costs weighed on profitability. Revenue from operations grew to Rs 3,125 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, up from Rs 2,882 crore in FY25. However, the company swung to a loss, reporting a net loss of Rs 32 crore for FY26, compared to a profit of Rs 17 crore in the previous year. Total income for the year stood at Rs 3,153 crore, while total expenses climbed to Rs 3,167 crore, reflecting pressure across key cost heads.
In the March quarter, revenue came in at Rs 792 crore, compared to Rs 711 crore in the same period last year. The company reported a quarterly net loss of Rs 13 crore, against a profit of Rs 2 crore a year earlier.
Cost pressures remained visible across operations. Material costs rose to Rs 995 crore for FY26, while employee expenses increased to Rs 428 crore. Other expenses, the largest component, stood at Rs 1,229 crore, underscoring the impact of store operations and expansion-related spends.
Depreciation and amortisation expenses also climbed to Rs 392 crore for the year, reflecting continued investments in store infrastructure and growth.
At the operating level, the company reported a loss before tax of Rs 37 crore for FY26, compared to a profit of Rs 23 crore in FY25. Exceptional items added Rs 24 crore to the cost burden during the year.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 3,256 crore as of March 31, 2026, up from Rs 3,041 crore a year earlier, indicating ongoing expansion. Net worth stood at Rs 1,389 crore.
Despite profitability pressures, operating cash flow remained resilient at Rs 507 crore, highlighting underlying business strength and demand stability.
The numbers paint a familiar picture in the quick-service restaurant space, growth continues to be served hot, but margins are still finding their footing.
