The session brought together valuable perspectives on the evolving GST appellate mechanism and the journey towards a smoother and more taxpayer-friendly system.

Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Jain, IAS (Retd.), Member Technical GSTAT, Government of India, Chief Guest, emphasised that as defects arise during the appeal process, taxpayers must ensure that all relevant documents are kept ready and accessible. At the same time, he emphasised that the Tribunal has a responsibility to hear these concerns and address the issues faced by taxpayers. He acknowledged that the Tribunal is actively working towards resolving these issues and making the appellate process smoother and more efficient.

CA Ashok Kumar Batra, Chair, Indirect tax Committee, highlighted that with 77,000 appeals already filed, the focus must now be on faster resolution of pending matters. He emphasised timely hearings, smooth appeal proceedings and favourable decisions by the Tribunal as key steps towards a fair and efficient GST system.

Ms Babeeta Sharma, Director – PHDCCI delivered the welcome address highlighting the crucial role of the newly operationalised GST Appellate Tribunal in resolving taxpayer challenges. Emphasizing PHDCCI’s 121-year legacy of nation-building, she reiterated the Chamber’s commitment to fostering dialogue between industry and tax authorities to drive transparency and support the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

CA Sandeep Garg, Co Chair, Indirect Tax Committee PHDCCI , proposed formal vote of thanks and reflected on the significant progress in the GST appeal-filing process, noting how the system has moved from the technical challenges faced earlier to 77,000 appeals being filed smoothly today, making the process a reality and easier for taxpayers and professionals. A very insightful beginning to the technical sessions, setting the stage for meaningful discussions on the GST appellate framework and its practical challenges.

Two technical session had presence of expert speakers ie. Mr Shivam Mehta, Co- Chair PHDCCI, CA. Tushar Aggarwal, Co-Chair, IDT ;CA Yogesh, GABA, GABA & Co;   Adv. Lalitendra Gulani, Anantham Legal ; Adv.(CA) Vardeep Singh, VS Hora & Co.;  Adv. Gaurav Gupta, Law chamber of Gaurav Gupta; CA Neha Jain, H N & Co.;   Dr. CA (Adv.) Avinash Poddar, Ashva Legal Adv. (CA) Ridhi Vashitha, Dhruva Advisors;    Adv. Onkar Sharma, Khaitan & Co. ;    Adv (CA) Kapil Sharma, Elixir Legal ;   Adv Saumya Panda, SK Panda. They deliberated on various important topics like Drafting, Filing & Arguing Before GSTAT, GST Judicial Pronouncements – Emerging Trends & Their Impact on Litigation Strategy and Scope of Writ Before High Court & Supreme Court.

The National Conference concluded with a shared deliberations on actively working towards speedy resolution of issues and making the appellate process smoother.

INDIA, 08^th September 2026: DataQuark, a Data, AI and Advanced Analytics business of LS Digital, today announced QUARK VITALS, an AI suite designed to help marketing teams address key decisions they make every day and move more quickly from insight to action.

The launch comes as marketing organisations are increasingly exploring AI agents that can work across data, systems and workflows. However, decisions around data, audiences, channels and creative often continue to happen across separate teams and workflows. QUARK VITALS is designed to connect these decision points and make AI more usable within day-to-day marketing.

“The next phase of AI in marketing is not simply about generating more answers. It is about making those answers useful in the moments when marketers have to make a decision. QUARK VITALS is designed around that practical need, helping teams connect data, intelligence and action across the marketing lifecycle”,

said Mohit Kanadkhedkar, DVP, DataQuark.

Four decisions. Four capabilities.

DQ Pulse addresses the foundation: Can I trust my data?

DQ Pulse helps teams assess whether their marketing data is ready for a planned use case and continuously monitors data integrity once the use case is live. It is designed to identify issues including broken data tracking, missing events, consent-related gaps, PII exposures in data that can affect reporting, optimization, security & compliance and AI outcomes.

ActivateIQ addresses the next question: Who should I target?

It enables marketers to ask business questions in plain English, investigate answers across data sources and turn relevant insights into activation-ready audiences. ActivateIQ can connect with multiple marketing and customer data sources, including GA4, CRM platforms, CleverTap, MoEngage and Meta.

ChannelSense then addresses: Where should I reach them?

ChannelSense analyses audience behavior, historical engagement and conversion data to identify channel affinity at the audience level, helping marketers make more informed decisions about where different cohorts are most likely to respond.

And CreativeMatch focuses on: What should I show them?

It connects audience behavior, creative attributes and campaign response to identify which creative assets and characteristics are likely to work for different customer segments. It then pairs predictive audiences with the creative they are most likely to respond to.

Together, the four offerings create a connected marketing decision journey:

Trust the data → Target the audience → Choose the channel → Match the creative

QUARK VITALS is designed to bring AI into existing marketing workflows, rather than treating it as a separate layer of experimentation.

Commenting on this launch, Vinay Tamboli, CEO, DataQuark said, “Marketing optimization has traditionally happened in pieces, measurement, audience strategy, media and creative often sit across different teams and workflows. The opportunity with AI is to connect these decisions rather than optimize each one in isolation. QUARK VITALS brings them into a framework, helping organizations move from AI experimentation towards more continuous, actionable marketing intelligence.”

QUARK VITALS is now available to enterprises and marketing organizations.

Bengaluru, India – August 19, 2026: Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY), a global leader in AI-first business consulting and technology services, today announced that Infosys Aster, its AI-amplified marketing suite, has been recognized as a Leader in the Everest Group Marketing Transformation Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026. The recognition underscores Infosys Aster’s ability to deliver AI-led, end-to-end marketing transformation at scale for enterprises globally.

In this assessment, Everest Group evaluated and categorized 29 service providers based on their vision, capabilities, and market impact. Infosys Aster is recognized for bringing strong proprietary IP, AI-first capabilities, and integrated ecosystem partnerships to drive measurable business outcomes. The assessment also highlights Infosys’ strengths in agentic commerce capabilities, enabling AI-powered discovery, selection, purchase, and commerce experience optimization, alongside its Adobe-led marketing transformation proposition.

Infosys Aster enables end-to-end marketing transformation across the value chain, spanning orchestration, data, content, commerce, creativity, and personalization. Powered by Infosys Topaz AI offerings, it helps organizations create engaging brand experiences, improve marketing efficiency, and drive greater business effectiveness. It addresses key industry challenges such as fragmented ecosystems, siloed functions, and limited scalability, helping organizations deliver integrated, data-driven, and personalized experiences. Infosys Aster’s capabilities are further strengthened by Infosys’ Adobe-led marketing transformation proposition through its Adobe 360 partnership, bringing together AI-led solutions and deep platform expertise to help enterprises accelerate customer experience, content, and commerce transformation at scale.

Everest Group also recognizes Infosys’ portfolio of proprietary assets and accelerators, as well as its strength in advanced AI and agentic use cases, helping enterprises modernize marketing operations and drive measurable business outcomes. This positions Infosys as a trusted partner for CMOs and digital leaders seeking to unlock value through scalable, AI-led marketing transformation.

Joydeep Mukherjee, EVP & Head – Global Data & AI, Digital and Creative Services, Infosys, said, “Today, CMOs are the growth-architects of enterprises. They are navigating organizational complexities, evolving customer needs, fragmented workflows, and mounting stakeholder expectations. They continue to operate with siloed and legacy ecosystem, struggling to achieve value through AI. Infosys Aster connects the entire marketing value chain centered around driving marketing impact and efficiency through deep industry solutions and agentic workflows, underpinned by robust insights, governance, and trust. This recognition affirms that our approach helps clients turn their ambition into measurable outcomes.”

Nitish Mittal, Partner, Everest Group, said, “The marketing and experience services market is entering a new phase as enterprises seek end-to-end marketing transformation amid budget pressures, demand for measurable outcomes, and growing adoption of AI and agentic AI. Providers that combine strategic guidance, AI-enabled execution, and outcome accountability are best positioned to lead the next phase of market evolution. Infosys has been recognized as the Leader in Everest Group’s Marketing Transformation Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026, attributed to its AI-first marketing transformation capabilities, depth in Adobe-led transformation programs, strong ecosystem partnership, and broad IP portfolio across content supply chain, workflow automation, commerce, and media optimization. Its agentic commerce capabilities and flexible pricing constructs further strengthen its relevance for enterprises pursuing scalable marketing transformation.”

May 14, 2026; Mumbai, India: As marketing, media and advertising continue to transform through the rapid influence of AI, evolving consumer behaviour, creator-led ecosystems and emerging storytelling formats, Goafest 2026 is set to present 13 distinct Masterclasses that urges attendees to redefine creativity, rethink strategy and reimagine the future of the industry.

Each masterclass is led by some of the industry’s most respected voices and in partnership with academic institutions, industry bodies and leading tech platforms. The Masterclasses are designed to promote practical, real-world learning; bridging the gap between inspiration and implementation.

Reputed professors & industry leaders from institutions and organisations, including the LIONS WARC, Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA),  Market Research Society of India (MRSI), Whistling Woods International have lent support to power learning. Additionally, platforms such as LinkedIn , Spotify Advertising, Google, JioHotstar, and PrsmX by Mobavenue, as well as service partners like MediaKart, White Rivers Media will present masterclasses to empower the industry to leverage technology like never before.

The Masterclasses will cover a wide spectrum of themes shaping the future of marketing, media, advertising and entertainment. From AI-driven filmmaking and creator-led communities to consumer psychology, platform storytelling, social culture, audio-first creativity and omnichannel brand building, each masterclass is designed to offer delegates direct access to industry practitioners and thought leaders through focused, high-value interactions that bridge the gap between inspiration and implementation.

Through these Masterclasses, Goafest 2026 continues to strengthen its position as a platform for continuous learning, cross-industry collaboration and meaningful conversations around the future of the business. By bringing together academia, platforms, strategists, creators, storytellers and technologists under one roof, South Asia’s leading media, marketing and advertising festival aims to create an environment where delegates can learn, adapt and prepare for the industry’s next phase of growth.

Registrations for masterclasses are mandatory via https://goafestreg.tecogis.com/MasterClassApp/masterclass