MAM
Bharati Balakrishnan joins Shopify India as country head and director
Mumbai: Global e-commerce company Shopify has appointed Bharati Balakrishnan as country head and director to spearhead its business in India.
Balakrishnan will be leading a growing team that will continue to focus on supporting made-in-India companies of all sizes and flavours on their journey to becoming leading global DTC brands. She will leverage her deep ties with the Indian e-commerce and start-up communities to strengthen Shopify’s robust ecosystem of partners and developers as a key source of tailored apps and tools to help merchants start, scale, grow and manage their businesses, said the statement.
She joins Shopify with more than 15 years of experience in various roles at global management and tech firms including Alibaba, Bain & Co, Future Group, and Paytm. Her skills in building national brands from the ground-up, coupled with broad expertise straddling brick-and-mortar, distribution, e-commerce, and India’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem, will help drive Shopify India’s continued growth.
“I have three simple goals – reinforcing Shopify’s position as the go-to commerce platform for Indian businesses of all sizes, strengthening its reputation as a merchant-first platform, and growing Shopify’s key merchant and partner relationships,” said Balakrishnan on her new role.
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.
