Brands
Manmeet Ahluwalia pilots and lands at EaseMyTrip
NEW DELHI: Manmeet Ahluwalia has landed at EaseMyTrip as chief marketing officer, bringing 30 years of battle-tested experience from the frontlines of travel and hospitality marketing. The appointment, effective October 2025, marks another chapter for an executive who has left his mark everywhere from Expedia’s global sponsorships to the luxury corridors of Oberoi Hotels.
Ahluwalia’s CV reveals a much travelled career over several travel brands. At Expedia group, where he spent nearly 11 years, he orchestrated the company’s sponsorship of UEFA Champions League as official travel partner—designing omnichannel campaigns that spanned stadium perimeter branding, influencer marketing and co-branded partnerships across North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. He drove the company’s India entry and market-share growth whilst simultaneously running employer branding for Expedia’s Gurgaon capability centre, the firm’s third-largest facility globally after Seattle and London.
Before Expedia, Ahluwalia cut his teeth at Yatra.com as senior marketing manager, led digital marketing across three continents for Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, and managed tourism business across North and East India for Singapore Tourism Board. His stint at Marriott International saw him deliver 30,000 room nights for the hotel giant’s global network.
More recently, Ahluwalia served as director of brand and performance channels at Sommet Education, the world leader in hospitality management education, where he drove a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in student intake. He also held the director of marketing communications role at Ahmedabad University, establishing brand leadership through digital acquisition strategies.
Between his corporate roles, Ahluwalia co-founded Brand Muse Consulting in November 2024—a boutique collective offering strategic counsel on brand positioning and creative development. The venture, which wrapped up in November 2025 just before his EaseMyTrip appointment, handled select advisory engagements with founders and marketing teams seeking external perspective on brand clarity.
His appointment arrives as India’s online travel sector heats up. EaseMyTrip will be banking on Ahluwalia’s playbook: omnichannel campaigns, performance marketing, influencer partnerships and the kind of data-driven rigour that drove results at his previous stops. With three decades of making brands sing in competitive markets, he knows the tune well enough.
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.
