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Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Announces Key Leadership Appointments; Ritesh Pratap Singh Named CHRO

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Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has announced a set of senior leadership appointments as part of its push to strengthen execution across critical business functions, including supply chain, commercial operations, people, and transformation. The company has named Avinash Kant Kumar as Head of Integrated Supply Chain, Vinay Nair as Chief Commercial Officer, Ritesh Pratap Singh as Chief Human Resources Officer, Sunaina Dhanuka as Head of Strategy, and Girish Sivaraman as Vice-President, Commercial Transformation. Commenting on the leadership changes, HCCB CEO Hemant Rupani said the appointments underline the company’s focus on building robust execution capabilities and deepening organisational strength to support its next phase of growth. Avinash Kant Kumar will oversee end-to-end supply chain operations, with an emphasis on resilience, efficiency, and scalability. He brings over 30 years of experience across supply chain, procurement, and operations, and joins HCCB from Jubilant Foodworks, where he served as President. His earlier stints include leadership roles at McCain Foods, Reliance Retail, Al Foah, and Procter & Gamble. Vinay Nair, appointed Chief Commercial Officer, will lead the company’s commercial strategy and drive growth across channels and markets. With 25 years of experience in the Coca-Cola system, he has played a key role in building partnerships and expanding market presence. Ritesh Pratap Singh, the new Chief Human Resources Officer, will head HCCB’s people and culture agenda, focusing on leadership development, organisational capability, and fostering a high-performance culture. He joins from Tata Projects and has previously held senior HR roles at Tata Trusts and IHCL (Taj Hotels). Sunaina Dhanuka has been elevated to Head of Strategy, alongside her current role as Chief of Staff to the CEO. She will lead the company’s growth and transformation initiatives. Her career spans multiple roles within the Coca-Cola system across ASEAN and South Pacific regions, as well as experience with global organisations such as Unilever, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, and Arthur Andersen. Girish Sivaraman, appointed Vice-President, Commercial Transformation, will drive HCCB’s commercial transformation efforts, focusing on go-to-market excellence, sales effectiveness, and capability building. He brings extensive experience across India and international markets, having worked with companies including Mondelez International, Pepsi, Varun Beverages, Britannia, and Vodafone. HCCB works closely with over 2.5 lakh farmers and operates 14 manufacturing plants across India, with a strong footprint in the southern and western regions of the country. Source: Economic Times

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Announces Key Leadership Appointments; Ritesh Pratap Singh Named CHRO Read More »

Oracle Clarifies OpenAI Ties as AI Spending Sparks Layoff Speculation

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Oracle has issued a public statement addressing speculation around its partnership with OpenAI after analyst reports suggested that the company’s heavy push into artificial intelligence infrastructure could trigger significant job cuts. In a post on its official X handle, Oracle said that a widely cited Nvidia–OpenAI investment proposal had “no impact whatsoever” on its financial relationship with OpenAI. The company added that it remains “highly confident” in OpenAI’s ability to secure funding and honour its long-term commitments. The clarification came amid growing market chatter that Oracle may reduce its workforce by as many as 30,000 employees to help finance its expanding AI ambitions. The response followed a volatile period for firms linked to OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal reported that a proposed $100 billion investment by Nvidia into OpenAI never materialised and had stalled at an early stage. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang later confirmed that discussions held last year were non-binding and did not progress into a formal deal. Despite Oracle’s reassurance, investor sentiment remained cautious. Shares of the software giant dropped nearly 3% to $160.06 shortly after the statement, reflecting concerns over the scale of Oracle’s exposure to the costly AI infrastructure build-out. Analysts have highlighted leverage as a growing pressure point. TD Cowen said Oracle is evaluating potential workforce reductions of between 20,000 and 30,000 roles, a move that could free up an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion in annual cash flow. The firm estimates Oracle’s long-term capital expenditure commitments linked to OpenAI — including massive data centre projects and advanced chip purchases — could reach roughly $156 billion. Oracle’s balance sheet has already expanded sharply. Analysts note the company has taken on around $58 billion in new debt in recent months to fund data centre campuses across the US, pushing total debt beyond the $100 billion mark. Since its peak in September 2025, Oracle’s market capitalisation has declined steeply, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars in value. The strain is not limited to Oracle alone. According to Reuters, OpenAI has been exploring alternatives to Nvidia’s inference chips, holding discussions with AMD, Cerebras and Groq as it looks to lower costs and diversify its computing supply. While Oracle has not officially announced any job cuts, analysts say the situation highlights the enormous capital demands of the AI race and the growing challenge companies face in balancing long-term infrastructure investments with short-term financial discipline. With competition in AI infrastructure accelerating, investors are expected to closely watch how Oracle manages its spending, funding strategy and workforce decisions in the coming months.

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Budget 2026 Pivots to Employability-Centric Growth Strategy

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The Union Budget 2026 marks a clear shift in India’s employment approach—moving away from headline job-creation numbers to building long-term, sustainable employment conditions. The new strategy places skilling, services-led growth and sector-specific ecosystems at the centre of workforce expansion. Instead of announcing how many jobs will be generated, the government has focused on aligning education, skills and industry demand. A key proposal is the formation of a high-powered standing committee on education, employment and enterprise. This body will map skill gaps, identify high-employment service sub-sectors and evaluate how artificial intelligence is reshaping future jobs—acknowledging that traditional degrees alone no longer guarantee employability. Services and Healthcare Take Centre Stage The services sector has been positioned as the primary engine of employment, with an ambitious goal of capturing a 10% share of global services exports by 2047. Officials highlighted that services create more jobs per unit of output than manufacturing, making them critical for absorbing India’s growing workforce. Healthcare forms a major pillar of this push. The Budget proposes adding 1 lakh allied health professionals across 10 disciplines over the next five years, along with training 1.5 lakh caregivers in the coming year under geriatric and allied care programmes aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework. Medical value tourism hubs, Ayush institutions and expanded health infrastructure are expected to generate further downstream employment, including overseas opportunities enabled by improved labour mobility clauses in free trade agreements. Creative Economy, Tourism and Sports as Job Multipliers For the first time, the Budget formally recognises the “Orange Economy”—covering animation, visual effects, gaming and comics—as a major employment frontier. With the sector projected to need around two million professionals by 2030, the government plans to establish content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, signalling a decisive tilt towards creative and export-oriented jobs. Tourism has been reimagined as a job multiplier, with proposals for a national institute of hospitality, training 10,000 tourist guides across 20 iconic destinations, and expanding eco-tourism, trekking, birding and heritage circuits. The aim is to generate non-migrant employment in smaller towns and rural regions. Sports is also being repositioned as a structured employment ecosystem under an expanded Khelo India Mission, encompassing not just athletes but also coaches, sports scientists, support staff and infrastructure-related roles. Education: From Schemes to Structures With an education outlay of nearly ₹1.4 lakh crore, the Budget signals a move from fragmented schemes to durable institutional structures, with a strong focus on women’s access and campus capacity. The education ministry allocation has risen 8.3% to ₹1,39,290 crore for 2026–27. School education and literacy receive ₹83,561 crore (up 6.4%), while higher education sees an 11.3% increase to ₹55,724 crore to support infrastructure expansion and research. A flagship higher-education initiative is the creation of five university townships near major industrial and logistics corridors, designed to cluster universities, colleges and research institutions close to emerging economic hubs. To boost women’s participation in STEM, the government has promised capital support for setting up at least one girls’ hostel in every district with higher-education STEM institutions. The Budget also proposes a new National Institute of Design (NID) in eastern India and expands digital learning infrastructure. Support has been announced for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, to establish AVGC content creator labs, while the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak initiative will roll out digitised textbooks in Indian languages for primary and secondary students. On institutional funding, allocations for IITs increase to ₹12,123 crore and IIMs to ₹292 crore, while some other premier institutions, including IISc and IIITs, face relatively tighter budgets. Budget 2026 underscores a strategic reorientation—from counting jobs to creating the ecosystems that make employment sustainable, future-ready and globally competitive. Source: TOI

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Infosys limits WFH exemptions to five days per quarter, aligning with stricter policies at TCS and Wipro

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Infosys has further tightened its work-from-home (WFH) framework, placing a cap on exemptions from working at the office (WFO) at five days per quarter, except in cases involving serious medical conditions of employees or their dependents. Any request beyond this limit will require valid medical documentation, including a doctor’s verification. Currently, employees at job level 5 and below are mandated to work from the office for at least 10 days every month. The new restriction specifically applies to requests seeking additional WFH days beyond this requirement. Managers have informed teams that there has been a sharp rise in last-minute WFH requests, prompting the company to enforce stricter planning and system-based pre-approvals rather than informal email requests. Managers have also clarified that requests not aligned with policy leave them with little flexibility. While Infosys has not officially commented, people familiar with the matter said that the company continues to allow up to 30 additional remote working days in cases of critical medical emergencies. The move is notable as Infosys leadership had recently stated that no changes were planned to its hybrid working approach. CEO Salil Parekh, during a post-earnings interaction earlier this month, had emphasised flexibility in how employees engage with the company and its clients. Infosys, which employs over 300,000 people, introduced its return-to-office policy in November 2023, requiring a minimum of 10 in-office days per month, though strict enforcement began in March last year. Employees must also spend at least three hours per day in the office. The tightening of norms mirrors similar steps by peers. Wipro has revised its policy effective January 1, requiring employees to work from the office three days a week for at least six hours daily, while cutting allowable remote days to 12 from 15 earlier. Meanwhile, TCS implemented a five-day office workweek last year and linked variable pay to office attendance, allowing limited WFH only for health-related reasons. Industry observers say these measures reflect the IT sector’s push for greater in-person collaboration amid shorter project cycles and slowing revenue growth, especially as AI-driven automation reduces dependence on large, people-intensive delivery models. Staffing experts suggest that 2026 could see more firms moving towards full-time office attendance, at least on designated workdays, to maintain agility and team coordination. Source: Economic Times

Infosys limits WFH exemptions to five days per quarter, aligning with stricter policies at TCS and Wipro Read More »

Bank unions begin nationwide strike today, push for long-pending 5-day work week

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Banking operations across public sector banks are set to face major disruption today, January 27, as bank employee unions commence a nationwide strike demanding the implementation of a five-day work week. The strike, called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), comes after conciliation talks with the government failed to yield any breakthrough. With January 25 and 26 already declared holidays, customers are likely to experience a three-day disruption in services at public sector banks. Several banks had pre-emptively alerted customers about possible interruptions if the strike went ahead. UFBU, an umbrella body representing nine unions of bank officers and employees, said discussions were held over two days under the Chief Labour Commissioner, with participation from the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), public sector banks, and officials from the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance. However, the unions said the talks ended without a positive outcome, prompting them to proceed with the strike as planned. At present, bank employees get Sundays off along with the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. The demand for a five-day work week gained momentum after an understanding was reached between the IBA and UFBU during the wage revision settlement in March 2024, which included making all Saturdays holidays. Expressing disappointment over the government’s stance, UFBU reiterated that the proposed system would not lead to any loss of productivity, as employees have already agreed to extend daily working hours by 40 minutes from Monday to Friday. The unions also pointed out that institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), General Insurance Corporation (GIC), stock exchanges, and most government offices already follow a five-day work schedule, arguing there is no rationale for banks to be excluded. The strike is expected to largely impact public sector banks and some old-generation private lenders. Operations at major private sector banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank are unlikely to be affected. Source: PTI

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India Emerges as Cornerstone of UK’s £40-Billion Global Education Push

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India has been identified as a priority market in the United Kingdom’s newly unveiled International Education Strategy, which sets out an ambition to grow Britain’s education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030. The strategy signals a clear shift in focus—from chasing international student numbers within the UK to expanding the global footprint of British education overseas. Under the plan, the UK government has constituted a new Education Sector Action Group that will work alongside the International Education Champion, higher education institutions, colleges and schools. The group’s mandate is to ease regulatory and trade barriers and help UK education providers scale up their presence in fast-growing international markets. At the same time, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced stricter compliance norms for institutions recruiting overseas students. These include tighter checks to ensure that those arriving in the UK are genuine students, along with the possibility of recruitment caps or even licence withdrawals for universities that fail to meet the new standards. Officials stressed that the revised approach removes numerical targets for international students in the UK and instead prioritises exporting UK education through overseas campuses, partnerships and transnational programmes. India features prominently among the UK’s focus countries, alongside Indonesia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan have also been added to the strategy to widen the reach of British education globally. The International Education Champion, Professor Sir Steve Smith, will continue efforts to deepen academic and skills partnerships across these regions. UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the overseas expansion of British universities and colleges would help institutions diversify income streams, build long-term global partnerships and extend access to UK-quality education without students needing to travel abroad, while still supporting economic growth at home. The policy document highlights the University of Southampton’s Gurugram campus—the first foreign university campus established in India under the country’s revised UGC regulations—as a landmark development. It also references the joint announcement by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer in October 2025 regarding plans for nine additional UK university campuses in India. UK Trade Minister Chris Bryant described education exports as one of Britain’s strongest global success stories, driven by digital delivery, artificial intelligence and a growing focus on future-ready skills. Beyond commercial objectives, the strategy also underscores education’s role in enhancing the UK’s global influence, noting that British universities count more than 50 serving world leaders among their alumni. Government estimates suggest international students already contribute economic benefits worth around £560 per UK citizen. The strategy aims to build on this by working closely with the UK’s diplomatic network and the British Council to strengthen education systems worldwide. Officials reiterated that international student recruitment would continue to operate within the UK’s migration and visa framework, with firm enforcement to safeguard the integrity of the Graduate Route post-study work visa. Source: PTI

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Q3 Results: New Labour Codes Dent IT Majors’ Profits by ₹5,400 Crore

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India’s leading IT services firms reported a sharp one-time earnings impact in the December quarter as the implementation of the new labour codes forced changes in employee benefit provisioning. Collectively, the country’s top six IT companies—TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and LTIMindtree—absorbed a cumulative hit of around ₹5,400 crore, significantly weighing on their Q3 FY26 profit numbers. The new labour framework, which consolidates 29 existing laws, has altered the way companies account for benefits such as gratuity and leave encashment, resulting in substantial upfront provisions. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT exporter, faced the biggest impact. The company reported a statutory charge of ₹2,128 crore, leading to a 13.9% fall in net profit to ₹10,657 crore. CFO Samir Seksaria explained that the provision included roughly ₹1,800 crore towards gratuity and ₹300 crore for leave encashment. He also cautioned that the new codes are expected to reduce margins by 10–15 basis points on an ongoing basis. Infosys reported an exceptional one-time charge of ₹1,289 crore, which pushed its net profit down 2.2% year-on-year to ₹6,654 crore. CEO Salil Parekh said the labour codes would have a continuing annual margin impact of about 15 basis points. HCLTech recorded a one-off provision of ₹956 crore, dragging net profit down 11.2% to ₹4,076 crore. The company noted that, excluding this impact, profits would have registered growth. Wipro’s net profit declined 7% to ₹3,119 crore, affected by a ₹302.8 crore labour code-related charge along with restructuring costs. Tech Mahindra was the only major IT player to post profit growth during the quarter, with net profit rising 14% to ₹1,122 crore on improved margins. However, it too set aside around $30 million (approximately ₹272 crore) for compliance with the new wage codes. CFO Rohit Anand warned of a quarterly margin impact of about 20 basis points. LTIMindtree accounted for a one-time cost of ₹590 crore in Q3 due to the labour code implementation, adding to the sector-wide earnings pressure. Despite the near-term impact on profitability, IT leaders struck an optimistic note on business fundamentals, citing strong deal pipelines and accelerating demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Infosys posted an 8.9% rise in revenue to ₹45,479 crore in Q3 FY26 and raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to 3–3.5% in constant currency terms. The company reported large deal wins worth $4.8 billion during the quarter, with over half coming from new clients. Parekh highlighted strong momentum in AI adoption across customers, particularly in financial services, energy and utilities. Wipro’s revenue grew 5.5% year-on-year to ₹23,555.8 crore, supported by vendor consolidation and AI-led modernisation deals. CEO and MD Srini Pallia said enterprises globally are increasingly treating AI as a board-level priority, positioning the company well for future growth. Tech Mahindra secured new deals worth $1.096 billion in Q3, with CEO Mohit Joshi describing the demand environment as strong across regions and industry verticals. TCS reported a 4.86% increase in revenue to ₹67,087 crore. CEO K Krithivasan said AI and data-led services were key growth drivers, while COO Aarthi Subramanian noted that AI revenues rose 17% quarter-on-quarter to an annualised run rate of $1.8 billion. HCLTech posted a 13.3% rise in revenue to ₹33,872 crore, driven by a sharp sequential increase in advanced AI revenues and solid growth in engineering and R&D services. The company recorded $3 billion in net new bookings, up 43.5% year-on-year. CEO C Vijayakumar emphasised the firm’s focus on AI-powered offerings such as robotics, AI factories, custom silicon and large-scale digital transformation programmes. Hiring trends during the quarter were mixed. TCS reported a net reduction of over 11,000 employees, while Infosys and Wipro added 5,043 and 6,529 staff respectively. HCLTech indicated a strategic shift towards hiring “elite engineers,” offering significantly higher compensation to attract top AI talent. Source: PTI

Q3 Results: New Labour Codes Dent IT Majors’ Profits by ₹5,400 Crore Read More »

Wipro Cuts FY26 Fresher Hiring Outlook After Soft Q3 Performance

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Wipro has scaled back its fresher recruitment plans for the ongoing financial year FY26, now expecting to hire 7,500–8,000 graduates, compared to its earlier guidance of 10,000–12,000. The revision follows a subdued performance in the third quarter, during which the IT major onboarded only around 400 freshers. Addressing analysts during the company’s Q3 earnings call, Saurabh Govil, Chief Human Resources Officer at Wipro, said campus hiring remained slow in the quarter, prompting the company to reassess its annual intake target. Despite the moderation, Wipro’s cumulative fresher hiring for the year so far has crossed 5,000. While overall volume hiring has eased, the company is sharpening its focus on AI and deep-tech talent. Wipro has partnered with universities to set up nearly 50 Centres of Excellence, where it co-develops specialised curricula in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data analytics, and recruits students trained through these programmes. The company is also offering premiums for candidates with relevant client-facing experience and investing heavily in upskilling existing employees through certifications. During the October–December quarter, Wipro added 6,529 employees, taking its total workforce to 2,42,021. The headcount increase was largely due to the integration of the Harman DTS acquisition and the rebadging of staff from a major deal signed in the previous fiscal year. On compensation, Wipro said decisions on salary hikes are still under consideration. Financially, the company reported a 7% year-on-year drop in consolidated net profit to ₹3,119 crore in Q3 FY26, impacted by one-time restructuring costs and the implementation of labour codes. Revenue from operations, however, grew 5.5% to ₹23,555.8 crore, up from ₹22,318.8 crore in the same quarter last year. Source: PTI  

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Mahindra & Mahindra Announces HR Leadership Transition; Rohit Thakur to Succeed Ruzbeh Irani

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Mahindra & Mahindra on Friday revealed a significant leadership transition in its human resources function, announcing that Rohit Thakur will assume the role of Group Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) from 2 April 2026. He will succeed Ruzbeh Irani, who is set to retire after completing more than 19 years with the company. The change is part of Mahindra’s well-defined succession planning process to ensure continuity and stability in senior leadership. Irani, a key member of the Mahindra Group Executive Board, will step down on 1 April 2026 following his superannuation. The company acknowledged his nearly two decades of service, crediting him for his significant role in shaping the group’s HR strategy and people-centric culture. Following the announcement, Mahindra & Mahindra shares were trading at ₹3,714.55, down ₹9.60 or 0.26%, at around 9:35 am. Rohit Thakur, who currently serves as CHRO for Mahindra’s Auto and Farm sectors, brings with him wide-ranging global HR experience. His career includes senior HR leadership roles at Microsoft India and Accenture, where he handled large-scale talent strategies, operations and cultural transformation initiatives. Thakur has also worked with GE across multiple businesses in India and the United States, and has led HR functions at fast-growing startups such as Paytm and LEAD School. Academically, he holds a commerce degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi, and an MBA in Human Resources from XLRI, Jamshedpur. With Thakur’s appointment, Mahindra & Mahindra said it aims to further strengthen its focus on talent development, leadership continuity and organizational growth. Source: Economic Times

Mahindra & Mahindra Announces HR Leadership Transition; Rohit Thakur to Succeed Ruzbeh Irani Read More »

CIEL HR Services Raises ₹30 Crore from Zoho, Pegasus and Others Ahead of IPO

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Chennai-based CIEL HR Services has raised ₹30 crore from a group of 88 investors in a pre-IPO funding round, with participation from Zoho Corporation, Pegasus India, and Standard Fireworks, as the company gears up for its proposed public listing. In an official disclosure, the human resources solutions firm said it allotted 27,27,272 equity shares at ₹110 per share, aggregating the total fundraise to ₹30 crore. The pre-IPO placement received board approval on November 17, followed by shareholder clearance at an extraordinary general meeting on November 28. Alongside Pegasus India Evolving Opportunities Fund, Zoho Corporation and Standard Fireworks, the investor base includes prominent names such as Rajashekar Reddy Seelam (founder of 24 Mantra Organic), Prime Securities, KTV Kannan of KTV Group, Sri Kaliswari Fireworks, the Pothys family office, AIKYAM Capital, NS Rajan, and leadership expert Abhijit Bhaduri, among others. As per its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP), CIEL HR Services’ IPO will consist of a fresh issue worth ₹335 crore along with an offer for sale (OFS) of 47.4 lakh shares by promoters and other existing shareholders. The company plans to deploy the fresh issue proceeds to increase its stakes in subsidiaries including Firstventure Corporation, Integrum Technologies, Next Leap Career Solutions, People Metrics, and Thomas Assessments. Funds will also be used to meet working capital needs, pursue inorganic growth opportunities, and cover general corporate expenses. Additionally, CIEL intends to invest in five subsidiaries—CCIEL Skills and Careers, FirstVenture Corporation, Integrum Technologies, Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, and Next Leap Career Solutions—to strengthen and scale their learning and talent development platforms. Founded in Chennai, CIEL HR Services provides a technology-led, end-to-end HR solutions portfolio, covering the entire employee lifecycle, from talent acquisition and assessment to learning, skilling, and workforce management. Source: PTI

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