MAM
ESS targets 8 sponsors for Indo-Pak series
MUMBAI: Sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports is looking at roping in eight sponsors for the blockbuster India-Pakistan series
comprising 3 ODIs and two T20s.
The sportscaster has already got one sponsor on board for the series which will be held from 25 December to 6 January. “We are looking at two co-presenting and six associate sponsors. We have just gone to the market with it and have got one sponsor,” said ESPN Software India MD Aloke Malik. He, however, did not name the sponsor.
ESS is eyeing Rs 2 billion ad revenue from the India-England series involving 4 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 T20s. “We have sold 90 per cent of our ad inventory for the series,” said Malik, while declining to talk about the revenues.
Meanwhile, ESS will kick off its second multimedia campaign in a couple of weeks. It will rest on the search for a new Indian hero which India’s home season will throw up. The focus of the first multimedia campaign rested on the fact that three stalwarts – Laxman, Dravid and Ganguly – are no longer a part of the team and whether India can still beat England. The theme is ‘Kya Team India Baja Payengee’.
Malik said that the campaigns had been conceptualised based on consumer insights. “The campaign is tactical. People haven’t forgotten the drubbing that India received in England. We have shot creatives also with Shane Warne (the legend spinner inked a 3-year contract for commentary with ESS).”
The focus of Warne’s creatives is that the viewer doesn’t want to know about his achievements or the peripheral things happening. He wants to know how the game is unfolding and why the game is changing direction. “Also the fact is that Warne has his own persona. He is fortright in his views,” Malik said.
Warne noted that 85 per cent of India’s cricket viewers would want commentary in Hindi. “That is why it is great that they have Hindi commentary. ESPN Star Sports’ commentary team is sensational. My aim is to provide an insight into tactics and what I would do if I was in the batsman or in the captain’s shoes,” he said.
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.
