MAM
Nikhil Rangnekar is Lodestar UM’s new media consultant
MUMBAI: IPG Mediabrands’s Lodestar UM has appointed Nikhil Rangnekar as its media consultant. Based out of Lodestar UM Mumbai, Rangnekar will be reporting to the CEO Nandini Dias.
Rangnekar has moved from Spatial Access where he was the CEO of the Media Audit and Advisory business.
“Nikhil is an industry veteran and we are delighted to have him on board. He has a varied background having worked in various capacities driving strategy, business and audits. He brings in a lot of experience and strategic thinking which we intend to leverage,” said Dias.
Armed with over 19 years of experience in the advertising and the media industry, Rangnekar started his career with Starcom in 1997 where in 14 years he climbed the ranks from a management trainee to executive director. In 2011, he quit Starcom to join Spatial Access. He is also the chairman of the marketing committee of IRS at MRUC.
Talking about his new role, Rangnekar said, “I am extremely happy to join Lodestar UM in the role of a strategy consultant. For me, it’s a prestigious assignment working with one of the largest groups in the world and in India.”
He further added, “I will be working with the individual brand teams in helping them take our strategy product to the next level. I will also be working closely with the Labcentre team on the various proprietary researches and tools that IPG Mediabrands has and aim to evolve them in line with the changes happening in the media environment in India. If my last role was more about driving efficiency, the new role is more about driving effectiveness. Lastly, I am proud to have got this opportunity to work with industry stalwarts like Shashi and Nandini.”
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
