Brands
StrateRise Consulting appoints Jagat N Singh as VP government relations
Media veteran to steer govt engagement and expand ICE programmes
MUMBAI: StrateRise Consulting has brought a seasoned media hand into its leadership ranks, appointing industry veteran Jagat N Singh as vice president government relations.
In his new role, Singh will lead the firm’s engagement with government bodies and public sector undertakings while also working to drive revenue growth through the government’s Information, Communication and Engagement programmes. These initiatives span public relations, events, films and media campaigns.
Founder and CEO Yuvraj Mehta said Singh’s experience across media and industry would strengthen the firm’s growing government practice.
“We are happy to welcome Mr Singh to our leadership team. His deep understanding of industry and media will help StrateRise further strengthen its government practice. We continue to invest in quality talent as we build an Indian consulting firm with a global footprint aligned with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister,” Mehta said.
Singh said he was looking forward to contributing to the firm’s next phase of growth.
“I am excited to join StrateRise and work with such a talented team. My focus will be on strengthening the firm’s government practice while contributing to its continued growth and making a meaningful difference to our communities, the country and the industry,” he said.
Before joining StrateRise, Singh spent nearly two and a half decades in the media and communications sector, holding leadership roles across major networks including NDTV, Network18, TV Today Network and ITV.
With Singh now leading the government relations mandate, StrateRise Consulting is aiming to deepen its engagement with public institutions while expanding its presence in government-led communication initiatives.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
