MAM
Recruiter Nupur Mehta jumps to James Douglas as managing partner
MUMBAI: Nupur Mehta has landed at James Douglas as managing partner, capping a year of musical chairs in India’s executive search industry. She left PageExecutive in September after just eight months as partner, having previously spent nearly 11 years at Michael Page climbing from senior consultant to director.
James Douglas positions itself as the successor to EMA Partners’ Indian operations, focused on recruitment and succession planning. Mehta will oversee the firm’s consulting work, helping companies identify talent and groom future leaders. She thanked K Sudarshan, Reet Bhambhani, Subburaj S, Sanjeev Das and Malini Bhupta in her LinkedIn announcement—presumably the team behind the new venture.
At Michael Page, Mehta ran the healthcare, life sciences and technology practices, managing a team of over 15 sales consultants whilst handling profit-and-loss responsibilities. She served on the Page Group’s global shadow executive board, the India technology board, the Asia-Pacific healthcare board and the India diversity and inclusion council. Before that, she spent two years as associate director building out the same verticals.
Mehta joined Page Group in 2014 fresh from business school, where she had specialised in human resources. A brief summer internship at Mercer, working on a retirement benefits survey, and a year as a software engineer at HCL Technologies rounded out her early career. Her move suggests James Douglas is betting on experienced recruiters to differentiate itself in a crowded market, where firms like Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder and Russell Reynolds compete for high-margin executive mandates.
Whether the new firm can carve out a niche remains to be seen. India’s executive search business has grown as companies scramble for senior talent, but the sector is notoriously relationship-driven. Mehta’s decade-plus Rolodex may prove the firm’s biggest asset.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â 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.
