MAM
Disney Star onboards eight sponsors for PKL season 11
Mumbai: The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) returns for its eleventh season, to enhance the growing popularity of Kabaddi in India. Disney Star, the official broadcaster, has secured eight sponsors for the league across various platforms, including Dream11, Shriram Finance, ROFF, Parimatch Sports, HP Lubricants, and Mother Dairy, solidifying PKL’s status as a top sporting event in the country.
This season aims to attract diverse audiences through exciting brand collaborations and a mix of sports and entertainment. Fans can expect thrilling Kabaddi action along with fresh content to improve the viewing experience.
“The upcoming season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) promises to elevate the festive spirit, captivating both fans and brands with its unmatched spirit of competition it represents. As India’s premier home-grown sport, PKL continues to push new boundaries with every season, driving record-breaking engagement and interest. For brands, it presents a unique, integrated marketing platform that reaches millions of highly engaged viewers, offering exceptional visibility and impact. We are thrilled to welcome a diverse array of brands this season, who not only champion India’s indigenous sport but also recognize the immense value and reach PKL offers. With Disney Star’s unparalleled TV and digital coverage, we are set to deliver powerful engagement opportunities that connect brands with passionate audiences like never before,” said Disney Star’s head of network ad sales, Ajit Varghese.
PKL season 11 begins on 18 October 2024, at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad, featuring a three-city format with matches in Noida and Pune. The opener will see the Telugu Titans face the Bengaluru Bulls, followed by U Mumba against Dabang Delhi K.C. Fans can watch the action live on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar, as PKL continues to showcase the intensity and drama that have made it one of India’s most popular sports.
Through strategic sponsorships and partnerships, Disney Star emphasizes its commitment to providing top-tier sports entertainment for audiences nationwide.
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.
