Brands
VinFast names Anurag Saxena deputy CEO to steer India growth
Former Honda executive to drive dealer expansion and EV market push
GURUGRAM: Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has appointed Anurag Saxena as deputy CEO for its India operations, bringing in a seasoned automotive executive as the company prepares to deepen its footprint in one of the world’s fastest-growing electric mobility markets.
In his new role at VinFast India, Saxena will work closely with the leadership team to accelerate the company’s growth strategy, with a focus on dealer network expansion, market penetration and strengthening the brand’s presence across the country’s evolving EV ecosystem.
Saxena joins the Vietnamese EV manufacturer after a long stint with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., where he spent more than two decades in a variety of leadership roles. Most recently, he served as operating officer, overseeing core business functions and shaping strategic planning across the company’s two-wheeler portfolio.
During his tenure, Saxena led more than 135 teams across six divisions, including business development, product strategy, marketing, electrification, network expansion and sales digitisation. He also played a key role in steering Honda’s early EV roadmap in India, including the launch of its first EV concept store in Bengaluru and the rollout of a scalable electric retail network.
Earlier, as regional business head for North India, he drove strong growth across key markets including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. Under his leadership, the region achieved a 30 per cent rise in volumes over four years, while market share climbed from 21 per cent to 28 per cent.
His career at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. also included leadership positions in central and western India, where he worked on dealer expansion, product planning and sales strategy. Notably, he helped design the ‘Hi-Rise’ dealer management system and introduced a pre-owned vehicle platform that expanded the company’s retail ecosystem.
Saxena began his career in export sales with Cosmo Ferrites Limited, where he handled international markets across the United States and Europe before moving into the automotive sector.
His appointment comes as VinFast accelerates its India plans, betting on the country’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle market and growing consumer appetite for sustainable mobility. With Saxena at the wheel, the company appears keen to combine global EV ambition with local market expertise.
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.
