MAM
Huhtamaki India appoints Neha Phale as head of public affairs
Mumbai: Huhtamaki India Ltd has announced the appointment of Neha Phale as head of public affairs and member of the leadership team at Flexible Packaging India.
In this role, Phale will support the delivery of Huhtamaki’s 2030 growth strategy and the positioning of the company as a leading manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions in India. As part of this, she is responsible for stakeholder communications and developing partnerships with key stakeholders working towards delivering sustainable packaging solutions and managing public affairs issues, said the company in a statement.
Phale has over 15 years of experience in communications and public affairs. She joins Huhtamaki from Welspun India Ltd where she was responsible for shaping the company’s overall communication strategy as well as creating and managing relationships between internal and external stakeholders. Prior to this, Phale held senior communications and public affairs roles at Huntsman International and Dow Chemical.
Welcoming Phale on board, Huhtamaki India’s MD Sudip Mall said, “Neha brings with her sound experience of B2B communications that will benefit us, as we engage with stakeholders to protect food, people and the planet. Huhtamaki, in conjunction with others, has an important role in providing sustainable packaging solutions in India which help drive towards a circular economy and we look to Neha to work with key stakeholders and spearhead our public affairs agenda to support the organization’s larger purpose.”
Speaking about her appointment, Phale said, “I am delighted to join a company that is focused on delivering benefits to society and am excited to be part of the next growth phase of the company in India.”
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
