MAM
Laura Ries, Phogat sisters, Amitabh Kant impart leadership lessons: Goafest ’17 concludes
GOA: After three days of seminars and conclaves by industry experts, crazy parties and evenings filled with delegates screaming their throats hoarse in support of colleagues during the ABBYs presentations Goafest 2017, India’s foremost advertising, media and marketing convention, came to a spectacular conclusion.
Government institution for catalyzing economic development NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant was felicitated with the prestigious Champions of Excellence Award for his extraordinary contribution towards building Brand Kerala as ‘God’s Own Country’.
Day 3, which was the final day of the festival, saw exciting seminars by none other than author Laura Ries, wrestling sensation of India – The Phogat Sisters, and Isha Katyal – the youngest Indian TED speaker. They were joined by industry stalwarts such as Yonathan Dominitz of The Mindspaces, Eric Cruz of AKQA and Juhi Kalia of Facebook who interacted and engaged with delegates through multiple Knowledge Seminars through the day. The eventful Day 3 came to an end with the presentation of ABBYs for Digital, Mobile, Out of Home, Ambient Media, Design, Print, Film Craft, Integrated Advertising, Special Awards (Gender Sensitive), Young ABBY & Film.
About the successful conclusion, Advertising Agencies Association of India president Nakul Chopra said, “The last three days saw some of the brightest minds from the world of media, marketing and advertising congregating together in one place to make Goafest 2017 an exciting experience for all. As an organiser, I felt delighted to see attendees enjoying themselves thoroughly – during the seminars and at the ABBY presentations and the parties. The energy one felt coursing through the venue everyday was simply invigorating.”
Extending his congratulations to the winners, The Advertising Club president Raj Nayak said, “When we started planning for Goafest 2017, our aim was to create a festival filled with knowledge, wisdom, entertainment, fun and which was also a great networking opportunity. I can now proudly say we have achieved everything that we had set out to. Goa has seen some of the most creative minds in India together at one place – meeting, interacting, engaging and celebrating ABBY wins.”
Felicitating the winners, Goafest 2017 chairman Ashish Bhasin said, “It gives me great joy to see all the delegates enjoying, learning and connecting with everyone. I would also like to congratulate all. You all are the creative forces that keep driving this industry to newer heights of success.”
Awards Governing Council Abby’s chairman Ramesh Narayan added, “Goafest is a confluence of creative minds who gather here year on year to connect, communicate and celebrate the amount of hard work.”
With industry specific conclaves to expert seminars and ABBYs presentations, the Goafest ABBYs 2017 presented by the The Advertising Club and The Advertising Agencies Association of India saw the entire advertising and marketing community descend upon the silver sands of Goa to celebrate excellence in creativity across media platforms and genres.
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.
