MAM
Blue Lotus Communications co-founders start new brand consultancy venture
BENGALURU: The co-founders of public relations agency Blue Lotus Communications, N. Chandramouli and Archana Tomar, have set up a new brand consultancy venture – The Brand Counsel (TBC). TBC will be an independent company outside the Comniscient Group and its‘ focus will be to streamline the CEO/Board‘s direction through the organisation‘s communication agencies. Archana Tomar will be moving on from her position as vice-president of Blue Lotus to head of the brand counsel.
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The Brand Counsel has a single allegiance – to remain faithful to the management vision at all costs, says N. Chandramoul
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A Blue Lotus Communications CEO Chandramouli said, “The top management‘s urgent imperative is to align business goals to communication goals of organisations. Unfortunately, these two goals often fail to converge, severely limiting the brand‘s potential. If such a divergence sustains, it may leave the audience completely estranged from the brand. The Brand Counsel will have a single allegiance – to remain faithful to the management vision at all costs. TBC will align all the diverse communications of the brand through the organisation‘s existing agencies. With Archana at the helm, I am confident that this new company will scale the ladder of success within a short span of time.”
Adding on her new role, Tomar added, “My tenure at Blue Lotus has been the most enriching and eventful. We nurtured Blue Lotus and saw it evolve to become among the largest and most respected PR agencies of India. The Brand Counsel will fuel life into brands from a new and innovative perspective without being another middling or muddling think-tank. We see a huge opportunity for brands to improve their communication and resource efficiencies.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
