Brands
Lara Dutta launches ARIAS Kids in partnership with FirstCry
Mumbai: Miss Universe 2000 pageant winner, Indian actress, and entrepreneur Lara Dutta Bhupathi announced on Saturday her entry into the kids’ fashion space on the Indian e-tail baby and kids megastore FirstCry.com.
Bhupati has partnered with FirstCry to launch ARIAS – an eco-fashion label of clothing and accessories which is an endeavour to design responsible fashion while translating current trends into comfortable, chic and premium quality products.
ARIAS Kids, will be made available only on FirstCry.com and is set to challenge the existing market of conscious parents of independent kids who know exactly what they want to wear.
ARIAS caters to 2–14-year old kids with the aim of creating clothing and accessories that reduce the negative impact of the fashion industry on the environment.
The brand name is her daughter’s name, ‘Saira’, spelled in reverse. It seems fitting that ARIAS has naturally forayed into the kids’ clothing space too.
Speaking about this new initiative, Lara Dutta said, “FirstCry was the first brand that immediately came to mind when I thought of ‘kids fashion’. With this partnership, I believe we can advance environmental education and youth environmental awareness while also achieving my goal of making ARIAS kids an eco-fashion brand.”
A company spokesperson at FirstCry said, “The association with Lara’s brand is one that we are very positive about – we are witnessing the rise of the conscious consumer on FirstCry, and given ARIAS Kids’ core values of eco-consciousness, it is a great offering for parents who have come to expect more from the FirstCry brand.”
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.
