MAM
Sandeep Vij to head Mudra North and East
MUMBAI: Close on the heels of Chandradeep Mitra joining Optimum Media Solutions (OMS) as president; erstwhile president of OMS – Sandeep Vij will take over as Mudra North and East president.
Vij will also play the role of a catalyst in spearheading the integrated marketing communications – Mudra’s Total Branding Solutions offering in the region. He replaces Hemant Misra who is moving to another assignment outside the Mudra Group.
Mudra CEO and MD Madhukar Kamath said, “Sandeep’s vast experience in the industry, including stints in strategic planning, account management, media, direct, relationship management and the interactive space make him the ideal person to drive the Mudra group’s total branding solutions offering in the region. Sandeep comes in as a seasoned professional with great credentials. He has contributed to Mudra Delhi’s impressive growth in the past as well.”
Vij added, “I am very excited about taking up this responsibility. The assignment is both huge and challenging. Mudra Delhi represents a great opportunity, in a market that’s growing exponentially we are ready to push for growth.”
Vij joined Clarion Advertising Services in 1984 as a media planner. In 1988, he joined Mudra Delhi, as manager – strategy planning and development. His responsibilities included setting up a media planning department as well as offering strategic planning support on brands.
He has worked on the launch of a number of brands in India for prominent companies including Nestle, Mobil, McDonalds, Dabur, Frito Lays, Samsung, HM and Reckitt Benckiser.
In 1991, Vij started Mudra Diversified – Direct Response, and set up branches at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. In 1994, he was brought back to mainline advertising at Mudra Delhi and subsequently became the head of the Delhi operations. In 2000, he took a brief break from advertising to pursuer an entrepreneurial dream.
In 2002, Vij once again joined the Mudra Group as OMS president.
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.
