MAM
Grey Group to acquire majority stake in ArtM in China
MUMBAI: WPP‘s wholly-owned global communications network Grey Group has agreed to acquire a majority stake in China based full service integrated communications agency ArtM Communications Group. The investment is in line with WPP‘s strategy to expand its services in the fast growing markets around the world.
ArtmM was founded in 1999 and has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzen and Guangzhou. It offers services ranging from advertising, branding, digital marketing, public relations, events, retail marketing and merchandising to channel promotion. It employs around 180 people and its client list includes companies like Intel, Microsoft, TCL and China Mobile.
ArtM‘s unaudited revenues for the year ended 31 December 2011 were approximately RMB 45 million, with gross assets at the same date of approximately RMB 157 million.
Greater China remains one of the fastest growth markets for the company and is currently WPP‘s third largest market with revenues of US $1.3 billion. The group currently employs over 14,000 people (including associates) across Greater China. In 2011, Asia-based agency research consultancy R3 estimated that WPP‘s revenues in mainland China were US$813 million, with the next biggest competitors Publicis and Omnicom at US$236 million and US$219 million respectively.
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.
