MAM
Publicis Groupe India appoints Kedar Teny as chief product officer
Mumbai: Kedar Teny has been hired in the newly created role of chief product officer for Publicis Groupe India. In his role, Teny will help strengthen connectivity, scale expertise and capabilities for clients. The strategic appointment reflects the Groupe’s continued investment in India as it continues on its strong growth trajectory.
Teny will be overseeing and expanding on Groupe’s product offerings by tapping into its diverse capabilities across creative, media, commerce, PR, production, digital technology and analytics. Working in close collaboration with the leadership and strategy teams across businesses, the role will also entail designing business strategies that create value and drive long term growth for clients. He will report to Anupriya Acharya, South Asia CEO, Publicis Groupe.
A seasoned business leader with about 25 years of experience, Teny brings with him a strong expertise across both advertising and marketing. He started his career at Lowe Lintas where he spent a decade in various locations across India and Thailand. Subsequently, he transitioned to marketing and took on significant brand and business leadership roles delivering brand success at Unilever, Airtel, McDonald’s, and Sony Entertainment. His most recent stint was as CEO for Lowe Lintas India.
Publicis Groupe CEO of South Asia Anupriya Acharya said, “I am delighted to welcome Kedar to the Groupe. His strong marketing credentials across diverse categories in the most blue chip companies coupled with an equally strong understanding of the agency ecosystem make for a unique combination. Added to this, his affable and approachable demeanour made him the perfect choice for this role.” Acharya added, “Innovation and client-centricity is at the heart of everything that we do. And appointing a chief product officer at the Groupe level is yet another key initiative in that direction.”
Kedar Teny said, “This role is both a great opportunity and responsibility. And I am very excited to take it on. Publicis Groupe not only has a great roster of clients but also some of the best agencies across creative, media, digital tech and PR, a strong growth momentum and an amazing array of scaled and deep capabilities. I look forward to working with Anupriya and the leadership teams across the Groupe to create significant business impact.”
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.
