MAM
Fido Dido takes on Yana Gupta in 7 UP campaign
MUMBAI: Pepsi’s lemon-lime brand 7UP has kicked off its new campaign for 2005, co-starring brand mascot Fido Dido with Bollywood star Yana Gupta.
According to Pepsi Foods executive director (marketing) Punita Lal, “While reinforcing the refreshment cues, the advertising brings out the core of Fido’s persona – fun, wit & out of the box thinking. The brand proposition ‘Refreshingly Imaginative’ is best reflected in this advertising and the new baseline ‘Andaaz sabse cool’.
The new 30 second TV ad has been produced by Farah Khan who last year directed the box office hit ‘Main Hoon Naa’. Excited about the new campaign Farah said, “It was wonderful putting Fido in the typical Bollywood quawaali setting, giving him a little koti & gale mein rumaal. He added a lot of fun and fizz on the sets. He is every director’s dream, no starry hang ups, bilkul bindas.” The music has been composed by Anu Malik.
In this TVC, created by J Walter Thomson, Fido matches his wits in a Bollywood style quawwali muquabla with popular model Yana Gupta.
Says Yana of her co-star Fido: “I had so much fun shooting this spot with Fido. He is just so cool. In fact I love how he always finds a smart and witty way to get his favorite drink 7UP”. The sign off for the campaign: “Andaaz sabse cool!” is also the new tag line for 7UP.
The campaign breaks in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada & Telegu across TV channels in India on 22 February. Besides television, this campaign will also be visible on billboards across the country and at all soft drink stores. The sound track will also be on high rotation on FM radio channels, informs an official release.
A series of “Fido Chowks” (Fido Square’s) which are fun hang outs, are also being put up around the country.
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.
