MAM
Sunil Lulla appointed as chairman of Astrum Reputation Advisory
Mumbai: Astrum, India’s first science-based specialist reputation management advisory, has appointed Sunil Lulla as its chairman. With his proven credentials as a business leader, Lulla will play a vital role in strengthening Astrum’s capability as a trusted advisor to the C Suite and adding fuel to its growth engine.
Astrum founding managing partner Ashwani Singla stated, “For over two decades that I have known and worked with Sunil, I have admired how he combines strategic clarity with execution excellence to achieve extraordinary outcomes. Our clients and colleagues will benefit from his sage counsel and proven acumen.”
“The impact of reputation, risk and regulation on business is a major pre-occupation of the C Suite and more so today; I am delighted to be a part of a team that has an enviable track record of helping CXOs successfully negotiate this landscape, says Lulla.
Lulla further adds,”Ashwani has played a major role in professionalising the Indian Public Relations landscape and now by putting ‘data and digital’ at the heart of Astrum, he is pioneering the next progression of public relations and public affairs; I am excited to contribute to this journey.”
Lulla is known for successfully growing businesses, building enduring brands, and shaping organizational cultures. In a career spanning close to four decades, Lulla has delivered business profitability, built market leadership and driven high employee engagement. These include blue chip organizations such as MTV, SONY, Entertainment Television, The Times Television Network, Indya.com, HMV, Diageo, Balaji Telefilms, JWT, GREY Group and BARC. He is the chief evangelist of The Linus Adventures, an advisory service focused on growing businesses, building brands, and enabling cultures.
Brands benefit from Sunil’s deep insights into Indian consumers and the Board of Directors, C Suite executives and start-up founders benefit from his rich experience in building very successful high-performance organizations. Lulla is an Institute of Directors (IOD) certified board member and currently serves on a number of boards.
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.
