MAM
Fierce competition for Zee accounts
NEW DELHI: It seems to be boom time for the advertising agencies. Some of the top agencies are vying for various Zee channel accounts said to be worth approximately Rs. 400 million.
Those in fray for the accounts include Rediff DY&R, FCB Ulka, Lowe, Contract and Leo Burnett. According to advertising industry sources, various agencies, including existing ones, made presentations yesterday for the accounts up for grabs at Zee’s office in Mumbai. Efforts made to elicit a response from Zee Telefilms proved futile.
Though the official budget is not known, but industry sources indicated that Zee’s account, collectively, is one of the largest accounts in the media world. It is also estimated that the total account would be approximately Rs. 400 million.
At present, Rediff DY&R, along with Contract and other medium sized agencies handle Zee’s creatives. Rediff’s PR division also used to handle Zee TV’s publicity, which it had bagged during the time Sandeep Goyal was the group broadcasting CEO. Earlier this year the PR contract came to an end and was not renewed.
Zee News recently signed on Leo Burnett as its creative agency, which was behind splashing a new look across Zee News logo and channel promotion with the tag `Hakikat Jaise, Khabar Waise’. The ad pitches are being made as Zee, led by the flagship channel Zee TV, has lined up various programming and marketing initiatives that kick off with the festive season in October.
One of the marketing and communication initiatives also include coming out with a new-look FPC (fixed point chart) for the main Zee channels, excluding the Alpha regional channels and the third-party ones like Trendz.
The FPC chart that now comes, beginning October, in the form of a magazine not only has the timings of various programmes, but highlights and pictures from serials and movies to make the experience of rummaging through pages more pleasant.
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.
