MAM
Leo Burnett India elevates Sonal Chhajerh and Pravin Sutar as national creative directors
Mumbai: Leo Burnett India, part of Publicis Groupe India, has announced the elevation of Sonal Chhajerh and Pravin Sutar as national creative directors. In their previous roles with the agency, Sonal was group executive creative director and Pravin was head of creative, Leo Burnett Bangalore. Both will continue reporting to Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe, South Asia & chairman Leo Burnett South Asia.
Leo Burnett India stands for modern, transformational creativity that powers growth for brands and businesses. As the agency strengthens its creative leadership, these elevations mark the commitment to world-class creativity and technology, innovative new-age thinking and holistic, high-impact business solutions that strengthen brands.
On the promotions, Leo Burnett South Asia chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe, South Asia & chairman Rajdeepak Das said “At Burnett, we truly believe the driving factor for success is our people and culture. Over the past few years, Sonal and Pravin have gone above and beyond their designated roles to contribute to the success of Leo Burnett. And I am thrilled that they are now stepping in as co-pilots to our already strong creative leadership helmed by Sachin Kamble and Vikram Pandey as chief creative officers.
Sonal has the creative vision to help empower brands with our ‘Impact a Billion’ thinking. Pravin has been relentlessly working towards shaping our Bangalore office into a formidable force with his creative acumen and leadership skills. Together as National Creative Directors Sonal and Pravin will be uniquely placed to leverage their collective experience and creative vision to unlock creative effectiveness for both our brands and our people.”
Commenting on the leadership changes, Leo Burnett Publicis health & publicis business CEO of South Asia Amitesh Rao shares, “This has been a phenomenal year for us at Leo Burnett. And Sonal and Pravin have been a big part of our success story. Both are true representation of Leo Burnett, respected and admired by our clients, our partners, and our people. Their elevation will add more depth and value to our agency’s creative output and further accentuate our focus on solving business and human problems using creativity, innovation, data, and technology.”
Talking about his appointment, Pravin Sutar, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett India said, “Leo Burnett is right at the centre when it comes to creativity and innovation in the country. I’m really excited with the opportunity presented to me by Raj and Amitesh and am committed to finding fresh avenues and platforms to express ideas while preserving our unique Leo Burnett culture. And with the team we’ve built over the past few years, we’re more than ready to undertake this journey.”
Adding further about her appointment Leo Burnett India’s national creative director Sonal Chhajerh said, “I am excited to step into this role and build on the vision and outstanding progress we have achieved as an agency over the past few years. I truly believe that the future of advertising is using creativity as a force for good —impacting billions of lives through innovation and sustainability. I am thankful to Raj and Amitesh for trusting me with this responsibility and am looking forward to collaborating with colleagues and our brand partners to create work that is truly world-class, scalable, and makes a real difference.”
Sonal Chhajerh was until recently the Group Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett Mumbai. She is passionate about working on impact projects that deliver genuine change for clients and society at large. She leads the P&G Whisper account and was instrumental in the ‘Missing Chapter’ campaign which is one of the agency’s most acclaimed and awarded works. Pravin has been heading the creative in Leo Burnett Bangalore and has been instrumental in strengthening the Leo Burnett Bangalore offerings by managing the large portfolio of some of the biggest brands including Ikea, ACKO, RedBus, Kingfisher, Heineken, and Lenovo, to name a few.
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.
