MAM
Pixis names Neel Pandya as CEO for Europe business
Mumbai: Pixis (formerly known as Pyxis One), a provider of contextual codeless AI infrastructure for complete marketing optimisation, on Thursday named Neel Pandya as chief executive officer of its operations in Europe, in addition to his responsibilities of leading the APAC business.
Pandya joined Pixis in its Bengaluru office as the APAC CEO in July 2021. “Under his leadership, Pixis witnessed a 185 per cent growth in revenue in the APAC region, with India independently recording 150 per cent of growth. Over the last seven months, in addition to greatly stabilising customer churn, Pandya has also been instrumental in adding close to 30 new enterprise customers,” said the company in a statement.
“Neel has been doing a remarkable job navigating and growing the business in APAC. In addition to the new volley of customers we’re signing up, we’re also seeing record retention rates with our existing customers,” stated co-founder and global CEO Shubham A Mishra. “Over the last few months, we’ve been noticing steadily increasing traction in Europe, and I believe we have the right person in Neel to lead our Europe business.”
As CEO of Pixis’ Europe business, Pandya’s key responsibilities will include leveraging existing traction in the region to profoundly grow the business and brand.
Weighing in on his appointment, partner at Chiratae Ventures Venkatesh Peddi added, “Neel’s success in the APAC region is testament to his belief in the Pixis vision, as well as his charisma as a leader. His prior experience with the European markets will serve him excellently in executing and staying on top of the expansion roadmap.”
Pandya is a seasoned leader who possesses the global experience and a deep understanding of consumers in APAC and Europe. Prior to Pixis, he exemplified vast professional capabilities at L’Oréal, Vodafone and GroupM. Additionally, he was named one among India’s Top 40 under 40 Most Disruptive Minds, two years consecutively, and has also served as the youngest media head of all times at L’Oreal and Vodafone.
“The past seven months at Pixis have seen my learning curve grow steeply, and I’m beyond honoured at being given the responsibility to grow the Europe business now,” said Neel Pandya. “The continent is currently undergoing an interesting and exciting phase in marketing. In fact, digital advertising spends alone have amounted to over 69.4 billion Euros, making it the second-biggest market after the US. I’m thoroughly looking forward to building strong teams that can support us in growing our European operations.”
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.
