MAM
APAC Effie Awards appoints Bhasin & Burge as heads of jury
MUMBAI: Asia Pacific Effie Awards, the region’s symbol of marketing effectiveness excellence, has named the first two heads of jury – Ashish Bhasin and Jean-Paul Burge.
Ashish Bhasin is the chairman & CEO Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia and chairman Posterscope and MKTG – Asia Pacific. He is also a member of the Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific Executive Board. A well-known personality in the Advertising & Media industry in Asia Pacific for the past 29 years, Ashish has built the Dentsu Aegis Network in India from a 50 member team to a 3000 member powerhouse.
Prior to this, Ashish successfully led and set up several of Lintas India’s (IPG) businesses and also had the global role of Executive Vice President, Lowe Worldwide and Asia Regional Director for Integrated Marketing.
His leadership and contributions are apparent from the multiple awards he has received, such as the Campaign Asia – South Asia Agency Head of the Year award 2016 and 2015 and MXM’s Media Person of the Year- 2016. As a veteran in the industry, Ashish has also served on global juries and trade bodies in India.
Ashish shared “It gives me a great opportunity to see some of the best work around the region, across markets as well as to interact with some of the best minds in our business.”
Jean-Paul Burge is the Chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia. Jean-Paul began his career at JWT London in 1998 and joined BBDO in 2004. Over the past seventeen years he has worked in London, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In 2007 he was appointed as the managing director of BBDO and Proximity Singapore, and was subsequently promoted to Chief Executive Officer in October 2008 and to President South East Asia in 2010. Jean-Paul has led BBDO to become the most awarded network for creativity and for effectiveness in the region, including the APAC Network of the Year in the Effie Global Index. Many of the BBDO Asia offices are also leaders in their respective markets, creating award-winning advertising and brand communications solutions for clients including HP, Exxon, FedEx, Guinness, Pepsi, Johnson & Johnson, DaimlerChrysler and Fonterra.
“There is no part of our business that is going unchanged, more touch points, more data, less money and more scrutiny on all that can be scrutinised. What does however continue to separate success from failure is effectiveness. Creative work that is not effective is not creative and as we say at BBDO in the absence of great work nothing else matters,” Jean-Paul commented.
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.
