MAM
Alok Lall replaces Debashis Paul at McCann; Paul to head McCann Social
MUMBAI: McCann Erickson has roped in Alok Lall as executive director McCann Worldgroup to replace Debashis Paul, who moves on to head the newly formed outfit McCann Social.
Lall, who recently quit as MD Iris India, will now be directly in charge of running the Delhi operations. This will be his second stint at McCann Erickson; he previously worked at McCann as an account director for a year from1996-97.
Lall started his career as an account executive at FS Advertising in 1989, before moving to DraftFCB Ulka as senior account executive. Then he joined JWT as account supervisor and worked for two years from 1993 to 1995, from where he shifted to McCann for a year with the same profile.
From McCann, Lall once again moved to JWT, where he worked for about 13 years before joining Saatchi & Saatchi Delhi as branch head and executive vice-president.
Lall then, co-founded the Indian office of Iris worldwide four years ago in 2007, with Stewart Shanley, the agency‘s global chief operating officer, and Kenneth Augustine, creative director, iris India which provides integrated service to companies such as Sony Ericsson, Dell, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Shell, Alpha G Corp and adidas.
Says McCann Worldgroup executive chairman Prasoon Joshi, “In our changing media landscape, Lall‘s drive towards new age media solutions will immensely value add to our offering and expertise.”
Lall‘s responsibility at McCann will be also to drive a broader integrated approach for all McCann clients.
About Paul‘s movement, Joshi says that Paul was keen to explore the social media for some time now. “Socially relevant advertising is an emerging need in the rapidly evolving development sector of our country. And I can see no one better to be at the helm of this,” says Joshi.
Paul has spent more than a decade with the agency and has been heading the Delhi branch since 2007.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â 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.
