MAM
John Thankamony is Mindshare’s new head – programmatic
MUMBAI: Mindshare, one of India’s largest full service media agency, a part of GroupM, has announced the appointment of John Thankamony as head – programmatic.
John will focus on driving programmatic adoption and the embracing of programmatic tools by Mindshare clients. This will include the development of FAST (Future Adaptive Specialist Teams), Mindshare’s solution for clients to harness the power of data. John will be setting guidelines to work with partners while ensuring that Mindshare’s clients have access to relevant and in-target audiences across quality and viewable inventory that is fraud free. He will also be responsible for harnessing data and technology products to drive performance and business results for clients.
John will operate out of the Mumbai office and be regularly involved with the Bangalore and Gurgaon office. He will report to Vinod Thadani, Chief Digital Officer, South Asia, Mindshare.
Mindshare, South Asia, chief digital officer, said, “John will be focusing on leading our existing programmatic offering and developing the programmatic adoption across our client portfolio. We are sure his ability to interpret strategy into the real time solution will bring in larger value for our clients.”
Thankamony said, “The emphasis given by Mindshare to data and audiences is refreshing. India is at a defining moment in its internet journey with a lot of new digital entities cropping up in the market.”
Thankamony brings to Mindshare a rich experience of almost a decade, including that of helping launch and run programmatic operations from Singapore for the SEA region. He has worked with companies like Amnet Asia, Google Inc, and CRISIL Ltd. He has product expertise in various programmatic platforms having run operations and analytics teams with expertise across multiple global and regional partners.
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.
