MAM
Wieden+Kennedy appoints Gautham Narayanan as MD for Delhi biz
MUMBAI: Wieden+Kennedy has appointed Gautham Narayanan as the new managing director for its Delhi office.
Narayanan will work alongside executive creative directors Molona Wati Longchar and Shuchi Thakur.
The position was previously held by Siddarth Loyal, who left the agency earlier this month.
Narayanan, who is currently based in South Africa, will relocate to Delhi and take his post in September. The transition is being managed by W+K alum Patrick Cahill, who spent nearly seven years with the agency in New York and Delhi, where he held the managing director role from 2015-17 before starting his own creative consultancy CAHILL&PARTNERS.
Narayanan has spent the majority of his career at BBDO, most recently as regional director for BBDO Africa and managing director, BBDO South Africa, where he helped land several new business wins, including Google Africa, and focused on talent development across the agency’s four African offices.
Narayanan is credited with spearheading the recent business turnaround at BBDO South Africa by driving revenue growth and doubling profits in just three years.
On his appointment, Narayanan says, “I have always admired the simplicity and smarts of Wieden+Kennedy’s work, from afar. For me, W+K’s ability to infiltrate popular culture has been the key to their success. It’s a simple formula that drives fame for the brands they serve, which in turn, drives commercial success for their clients’ business.”
“I consider myself lucky to have worked for BBDO my whole career, and I can honestly say Wieden+Kennedy was the only agency network I considered leaving BBDO for. W+K’s independent culture and belief in compelling ideas, paired the opportunity to partner with extraordinary clients and lead an office in my country of birth, was too tempting to resist,” he adds.
W+K chief operating officer Neil Christie mentions, “We’re delighted that Gautham will bring his experience, energy and enthusiasm for groundbreaking work to Wieden+Kennedy Delhi. I am confident that under Gau’s leadership W+K will go from strength to strength in India.”
W+K Delhi opened in 2007 and works with a number of blue-chip global and local clients, including Airbnb, Audi, Dalmia, Fabindia Home, IndiGo Airlines, Nike and Royal Enfield. Famous for award-winning work like Nike DaDaDing, creating the potent brand voice that made IndiGo India’s largest airline and telling the authentic stories that helped build Royal Enfield into a global cult brand, W+K Delhi has grown in the past year with the addition of Indian icon Fabindia as well as global clients such as Airbnb. The agency is committed to pushing these clients into new territories in the digital and experiential space, a speciality of the Delhi office.
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.
