MAM
DAN Consult aims to deliver business objectives with major clients on board
MUMBAI: DAN Consult, the consulting arm of Dentsu Aegis Network, has successfully scaled up winning large growth consulting assignments with corporates like Tata Unistore (Tata Group’s e-commerce venture), UAE’s leading e-commerce platform Noon.com, India’s leading regional newspaper group Rajasthan Patrika, Rajasthan’s luxury hotel group Suryagarh Hotels along with a few other clients who wish confidentiality.
DAN Consult is an integrated hub of growth consulting and marketing transformation services combining business consulting, product consulting, marketing and sales strategy, technology, data, AI, digital marketing, performance marketing and martech (marketing technology) to deliver on the business objectives of clients. The plan is to build a result focused consulting firm and fill a space today not captured by the large consulting firms or the tech companies specifically on digital growth where being hands-on is key to success.
While DAN Consult has employees dedicated to business consulting, the practice also pools entrepreneurs, leaders and CEOs internally across the DAN group and the best breed external experts who have built and scaled businesses themselves and successfully created teams on a project-by-project basis. These industry-leaders will leverage their expertise across multiple domains to not just advise on strategy, but also form campaigns, products, and infrastructure including digitisation and Artificial Intelligence or solving business problems through an innovative and disruptive process.
Lalit Bhagia has taken over as the CEO of DAN Consult. It will be the fourth entity under the DAN Performance Group, headed by Vivek Bhargava, along with the existing three companies under it – iProspect India, SVG Columbus and Merkle Sokrati.
Bhagia and Bhargava, both ex-entrepreneurs themselves will collaborate to build and scale the DAN Consult business. Bhagia has led and built the digital growth strategy for companies like Star TV and Aditya Birla Financial Services among others. Prior to Star, he was the head – APAC at Digitas where he single-handedly built and scaled Digitas across India and Southeast Asia from scratch.
Bhagia says, “With DAN Consult, we aim to deliver on business objectives and not the marketing objectives. Our business model rests on this very premise and thus we work with companies based on revenue growth using digital. In the long run, we will take a cut from the results, instead of charging fixed fees for time. This is a shift from what traditional consultants currently do and with this we hope to redefine the space. I am glad to have been chosen to create and build this business for DAN. This indeed is the next level of how agencies would evolve in the future.
Bhargava mentions, “With 1800 digital experts and the diverse talent that the network possesses, we believe we enjoy a niche to cater to the unmet demand of clients beyond what tech companies and traditional consultancies are equipped to provide. The strength, dynamism, culture, flexibility, consumer understanding and risk-taking that a network like ours possesses along with some of the best minds in the business work as a huge added advantage. With Lalit at the helm, I’m positive we will be able to deliver great value to clients through our consulting efforts.”
“The launch of DAN Consult enables our business to achieve the completion of the triumvirate of branding, media and consulting. We believe the market currently leaves scope for an offering of this nature and we are glad to introduce the consulting business under the DAN Performance Group, providing further value to our clients and working with CEOs and promoters to push the envelope through digital. Moreover, this is aligned with our One-DAN vision.” concludes Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia Chairman and CEO Ashish Bhasin.
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.
