Brands
Rahul Agarwal joins MakeMyTrip Group as VP head of technology
GURUGRAM: Rahul Agarwal has taken over as vice president head of technology at MakeMyTrip Group, stepping into a role that sits quietly at the centre of India’s fast moving travel ecosystem.
Based in Gurugram, Agarwal will lead enterprise technology across MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, redBus and other group entities. His mandate is wide and weighty, spanning ERP, analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud platforms, all with one clear goal: making the group’s technology sharper, faster and ready for scale.
While travellers may never see the systems he builds, they will feel their impact. From smoother bookings to smarter pricing and more reliable operations, Agarwal’s work is expected to power the backstage engine of India’s most recognisable travel brands.
He joins MakeMyTrip after a high impact stint at Airtel, where he served as AVP and centre of excellence head for supply chain and ERP. There, he led large scale digitisation programmes across 23 circles, rolled out global logistics and planning platforms, and drove AI and automation across dozens of supply chain use cases. Before that came senior technology leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, KPMG and Deloitte, with a career steeped in ERP, cloud transformation and enterprise strategy.
Agarwal’s journey began far from travel tech, in engineering roles focused on simulation and manufacturing, before evolving into a career defined by digital transformation at scale. That mix of deep technical grounding and boardroom level execution now places him at the heart of MakeMyTrip’s next chapter.
As the group sharpens its focus on innovation and customer experience, Agarwal’s appointment signals a clear intent. Travel may be about destinations, but at MakeMyTrip, the next journey is firmly powered by technology.
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.
