MAM
Carat ventures down south, opens office in Bangalore
MUMBAI: Continuing with its growth and expansion plans, Carat Media Services has launched its South operations with its regional office in Bangalore.
Joydeep Raha has been roped in to head the division.
Carat MD Kartik Iyer said, “We will work to delivering our unique integrated communications planning solutions to clients based in the region. We have over the past few years been working on consolidating our North and West operations and are now ready to present our suite of cutting edge solutions to clients from this crucial region.”
Iyer also confirmed that Raha will head the South outfit. “We couldn’t have found a better person than Joydeep who knows the region so well. He has over the past few years proven his ability in not only managing businesses but also continuously acquiring businesses,” he said.
Being in the south is very important to Carat as quite a few of its major clients including The Muthoot Group, Air Asia and Philips have interests in the region which require a very localised level of servicing.
“This development is in line with our focus to deliver micro market solutions to the best of our abilities to our clients and nothing could be better than having feet on the ground,” said Iyer.
Raha is a mechanical engineer and graduate from MICA. He has in the past worked with Bates, Enterprise Nexus and was with Lintas for the last eight years. During this period, he handled brands like Raymond. ABN AMRO 3M, Britannia, Jockey, BPL, Sanyo, Citizen Watches, Manappuram Finance ,Manappuram Jewellery, Metro Cash & Carry, Wockhardt and Infosys.
Raha said “I have had the opportunity to be exposed to some of Carat’s which have been very impressive to say the least. These tools and processes will definitely make a huge impact in the market and will all add up to delivering huge efficiencies to clients here. What is truly impressive is their Integrated solution capabilities they have developed so quickly in the market with each division being domain experts in their respective fields. I am very excited about taking these capabilities to the market in South and am certain that these capabilities combined with Carat’s global learnings and best practices can be harnessed most effectively towards providing highly effective communication solution to the clients here.”
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.
