MAM
Goafest 2016: Believe in instricts and data to keep up with change, feels Carter Murray
GOA: “Around 90 per cent of the internet traffic will soon be video based. Quoting figures from Google US, he said there are 60 trillion web addresses in the world with 4 million applications with 3 billion web searches per day.
Kick-starting the second session of the last day at Goafest, FCB worldwide CEO Carter Murray spoke on surviving and thriving in the times of intense change, replete with case studies and insights.
The 40 year old CEO said Murray pointed out that 15 per cent of the searches are never seen before. “This means that there are 450 million searches every-day for something that’s never been asked before. If there is a 0.5 second delay on a Google search, there is a 20 per cent drop in traffic. While on Amazon, a 0.1 second delay will cause a 1 per cent drop in sales.”
Speaking about what is happening at Silicon Valley and listening to some speakers at forums, clients and agencies, he said “We have to start being aware of fake prophets. You have to trust your own instincts. You should take what’s going on around the world and add it it to what you know. You don’t have to start fresh,” he noted.
He started his talk with the cryptic example on the difference between ‘being involved’ and ‘being committed’. “Take for example a bacon-and-egg breakfast. Chicken is involved and bacon is committed. What we put in and how it comes out has changed.”
He said marketers use only 6 per cent of data for decisions. “Data is waiting for its Scorsese. When are we going to use data to improve creative product not just improve sales?”
With agencies and marketers trying to be ‘different’ in a changing and challenging environment, he said, “Different doesn’t always have value – better does. Steve Jobs did not invent the telephone; he made it ‘better’.”
The CEO divided work into three buckets: Hero, Hub and Help. He explained the model in which Hero stands for what you want to say wrapped up in an emotional story which is memorable and invites further participation. Hub symbolizes a platform which is updated regularly or a social profile worth returning to. Help stands for what your target market are searching for.
Explaining this model, he cited examples of a few brands like Hero, Nivea and Valspar Paint which amused the audience.
He stressed on how important talent is when it comes to surviving and thriving. “This is an exciting time focus. Never think that an idea or brief is finished. You always learn and evolve. If you make a mistake, stand-up, and apologize. Do not try to hide it. Identify your micro-moments, deliver on needs in the moment and measure and optimize to connect the dots”.
Change is happening but instead of freaking out and trying to incorporate every change, the marketing community needs to believe in their instincts and data, he stressed.
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.
