MAM
Havas Group India elevates Manas Lahiri as MD
New Delhi: Havas Group India has announced a restructuring of its senior leadership team at Havas Worldwide (Creative) India to drive business growth, consolidate client management. Effective immediately, the agency has elevated president North Manas Lahiri to the role of managing director, and Ravinder Siwach, currently the national creative director to the role of executive director and national creative director of Havas Worldwide (Creative) India.
With over 19 years in advertising and marketing, Lahiri carries experience across sectors, including FMCG, IT, Telecom, and Auto. And Siwach has nearly two decades of experience in many leading agencies. Both have been determined and helped in the overhaul of Havas in the last few years and have been exemplary for the group, said the agency on Monday.
Lahiri will continue to report to Group CEO Rana Barua and will lead both the offices (Gurgaon and Mumbai) of Havas Worldwide India. He will work closely with the leadership team of the other Havas group companies to drive growth, digital innovations and help in the overall integration across businesses and functions, said the agency. While Siwach will continue to report to Havas Group India’s chief creative officer and chairman Bobby Pawar.
“We have witnessed an exponential growth in a short span of two years and have added a phenomenal set of new clients and talents across both our offices. It was time to recognise a strong leadership to drive the client consolidation and take charge of the day-to-day operations of Havas Creative,” Havas Group India – group CEO Rana Barua said. “Manas is a seasoned leader and has driven both organic and inorganic growth for the network, and Ravinder has done an incredible job in scaling up Havas India’s creative prowess under Bobby. Together they have been amazing partners, demonstrated solid team spirit, skill, commitment, and resilience. I am confident that they will scale up Havas Creative, India to greater heights.”
Havas Group India chief creative officer and chairman Bobby Pawar said, “Ravinder and Manas are a rare pair of leaders who are equally passionate about creating great work and growing the agency. The way they collaborate sets the right tone for the rest of the team.”
Brands
Jubilant Foodworks to end Dunkin’ franchise in India
Pizza chain operator will not renew agreement when it expires at end of 2026.
MUMBAI: When the doughnuts stop turning and the coffee goes cold, even a global giant like Dunkin’ can find the Indian market a tough brew to crack. Jubilant Foodworks has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with Dunkin’ when the pact expires on 31 December 2026, according to a Reuters report. The operator, best known for running Domino’s outlets in India, said it would evaluate options for its existing Dunkin’ stores, including a potential sale or transfer of franchise rights, in consultation with the US-based brand.
The decision follows years of underperformance in a market where local tastes and intense competition have made it difficult for international coffee-and-doughnut formats to gain traction. Jubilant, which has increasingly focused on its core pizza business and newer bets like Popeyes, indicated that the exit would not materially affect its financial or operational position.
Dunkin’ accounted for just 0.61 per cent of Jubilant’s revenue in the fiscal year ending 2025 and recorded a loss of approximately Rs 191 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company operated 27 outlets as of December 2025, having shuttered seven stores over the preceding year.
The retreat comes even as Jubilant’s broader business shows signs of momentum. The company reported a 65 per cent rise in quarterly profit for the October to December period, reaching Rs 70.9 crore, up from Rs 42.91 crore a year earlier.
For Jubilant, the exit reflects a sharpening strategic focus. For Dunkin’, it marks another setback in a market that has proven resistant to imported café concepts without significant localisation.
In the cut-throat world of Indian quick-service restaurants, sometimes the sweetest deals are the ones you quietly walk away from leaving more room for the brands that truly rise to the occasion.
