MAM
7Up takes chennai by storm on april ‘Cools’ day
MUMBAI: Come 1st April and the entire world is determined to prank one another. But this year, instead of ‘fooling people’, 7Up, the refreshing clear drink with a natural lemon flavor decided to test how Chennaites react when someone plays a prank on them.
7Up teamed up with popular Tamil actor SATHISH MUTHUKRISHNAN to see whether people in Chennai COOL or get FOOLED through pranks. Sathish posed as a local taxi driver in the city and drove around town, pranking unassuming passengers.
Sathish’s antics in the cab, with the passengers, ranged from him being an intrusive cab driver, who wanted to know everything that happens in their life to one who wanted to share all the details of his love story with them. He tested the passengers’ patience by playing old songs, having tourists perform a pooja in the cab, and even giving them marriage advice!
While some passengers fell for his pranks and thus became ‘FOOLS’, there were several others adopted 7Up’s philosophy of being ‘COOL’. The ‘COOL’ category of passengers sang along with Sathish, laughed at themselves, and some even saw right through the hoax and recognized Sathish before he could prank them.
The concept of APRIL COOL’S DAY stems from the brand’s philosophy that no matter what kind of a situation one is stuck in, it is important to stay cool. It builds on 7Up’s current ‘Put the Chill’ campaign, which tells consumers that it doesn’t matter how much there is to stress about – when they relax, chill and don’t let it affect their natural positivity, there’s nothing one can’t take on.
Through APRIL COOL’S DAY, the brand is also giving a new spin to the philosophy of the ORIGINAL CHILLER, 7Up’s timeless mascot FIDO DIDO. The wriggly-haired mascot known for his quirky, fun attitude and witty one-line FIDOSIPHIES reiterates the brand’s belief that there is no point stressing about stressful situations.
Speaking about April Cool’s Day, Nobel Dhingra, Director Flavors (7UP and Mirinda) and Area 3 Countries, PepsiCo India, “7Up as a brand has always encouraged today’s consumer to be their cool and optimistic self . This year, we have the original Cool Dude, Fido Dido telling India to “Put the Chill” in their lives. We thought that there is no better day to reiterate 7Up and Fido’s message than April Fool’s Day. It’s the one day of the year where people are constantly worrying about which prank they are going to fall for. Our message is simple – on 1st April this year, don’t be a fool. Instead be like Fido, sit back, relax and Put The Chill in the day with a refreshing 7UP.”
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
