MAM
Harjyot Singh Arora gets fizzy APAC promotion at PepsiCo
GURUGRAM: Pop the cap and pour one out—Harjyot Singh Arora has just landed himself a promotion that’s anything but flat. After six years of navigating PepsiCo’s labyrinthine beverage empire, the marketing maven has been crowned head of media, digital and investments for the entire Asia-Pacific region. It’s the kind of career trajectory that would make even Mountain Dew enthusiasts feel caffeinated.
Arora’s ascent through PepsiCo’s Bangkok headquarters reads like a masterclass in corporate agility. Since joining in 2019, he’s ping-ponged between roles with the energy of a shaken fizzy drink. His previous stint as sector lead for media, data and commerce capabilities saw him juggling everything from consumer analytics to thought leadership—presumably without dropping the ball, or the bottle.
But it was his 17-month spell as category lead for flavoured carbonated soft drinks that really showcased his mettle. Leading the charge for 7UP and Mountain Dew across Asia’s business unit, he shepherded innovation pipelines and propped up profit-and-loss statements from Thailand to Timbuktu (or at least the parts of Asia that matter to PepsiCo’s bottom line). Before that, he piloted the launch of functional juices in south-east Asia.
His pre-PepsiCo CV is equally colourful. Stints at Kansai Nerolac Paints, Mahindra Group and Starcom MediaVest Group gave him the chops to tackle brand strategy, media buying and consumer engagement. He even flogged ice cream for Allanasons’ London Dairy brand—proof that selling frozen treats in Mumbai’s sweltering heat requires a cool head.
Now ensconced in his new perch, Arora will oversee how PepsiCo splashes its cash across advertising, digital channels and strategic investments throughout APAC. It’s a role that demands equal parts data wizardry, strategic nous and the ability to keep multiple brands bubbling along nicely. With his track record of squeezing results from tight margins and fizzy categories alike, PepsiCo has clearly bet on the right bottle. Cheers to that.
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.
