MAM
IPG launches third media agency network BPN in India
MUMBAI: IPG Mediabrands has launched its third media agency network in India, in line with its strategy of operating across 14 countries.
Titled Brand Programming Network (BPN), it will be under the Lintas Media Group (LMG) umbrella.
Ending months of speculation on what Suresh Balakrishnan‘s designation will be at LMG, the agency has named him as the CEO of BPN.
The other two media agencies of IPG Mediabrands in India are Lodestar UM and Lintas Initiative.
BPN will operate in 14 countries around the world, including North America, Scandinavia, Latin America and Europe. It has a start up billing of over $900 million, the agency said.
The new agency will be focusing on promoting brand health and success in this social and consumer driven media landscape. It will handle clients like Jyothy-Henkel, Bajaj Auto, Samsonite, and other clients of LMG to start up with a billing volume of over Rs 10 billion in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Cochin.
Lintas Media Group chairman and CEO Lynn de Souza said, “For media agencies thus far, the starting point has always been the advertiser. Consolidation, portfolio management and aggregation are all client focused and to some extent consumer data driven. BPN will focus on the brand. The time has come to turn back several chapters and make the brand the hero of all communication effort, and BPN has developed processes to do just that.”
The agency is already pitching for large MNC brands and has recently acquired Henkel in Mumbai, Yepme.com in Delhi, OCL in Kolkata, and Jayalakshmi Silks accounts in Cochin.
Balakrishna said, “The team and I are very excited to be energizing an all new way of approaching media, yet using the best of data, insights and creativity that LMG and IPG Mediabrands have globally and here in India. BPN will focus on promoting brand programming using social media as a key source of information to reach consumer at every touch point. We will work closely with Reprise Media, the digital offer, and Lintas Initiative Outdoor to offer brands complete media solutions. This agency will be characterised by its agility, creativity and understanding of new avenues like the digital medium, branded content, mobile telephony, apart from the conviction to be able to deliver the best media product through astute planning and aggressive buying.”
MAM
Three senior OpenAI infrastructure executives join Meta
Key members of Stargate project move to rival amid aggressive AI spending race.
MUMBAI: Three key architects of OpenAI’s ambitious data centre plans have switched sides and joined Meta Platforms, according to people familiar with the matter. Peter Hoeschele, who played a central role in OpenAI’s high-profile Stargate initiative, is among the new hires. He is joined by Shamez Hemani, who focused on computing strategy and business development, and Anuj Saharan, another leader in the computing organisation. The Information first reported their departure from OpenAI on Thursday.
The moves come as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend aggressively on AI infrastructure. The company is projecting capital expenditure of up to $135 billion this year alone, with hundreds of billions more expected before the end of the decade to support its Meta Superintelligence Labs and new models such as Muse Spark.
OpenAI, which is pushing ahead with massive data centre expansion, had described its early lead in securing computing power as a competitive advantage. Stargate, originally announced last year as a $500 billion venture involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, has since become an umbrella term for the company’s broader data centre ambitions. However, the project has seen recent adjustments, including a pause on its UK plans and the decision not to expand the Abilene, Texas site.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment, while Hoeschele, Hemani, and Saharan also declined to comment. OpenAI said it was grateful for the contributions of the three employees and remains focused on hiring talent for its infrastructure plans. The company recently brought in former Intel executive Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute efforts.
In the high-stakes race to build the future of artificial intelligence, talent is proving to be as valuable as computing power itself. Meta’s latest hires suggest the competition for top infrastructure minds is intensifying, even as OpenAI continues to scale its own ambitious projects. The move highlights how quickly the AI talent war is heating up across Silicon Valley.
