MAM
Menaka Menon joins Leo Burnett Orchard as EVP & branch head for Bengaluru
Actor Akshay Kumar, who has become the first male Bollywood Actor (Male) to score 20 million followers on Instagram, received an Instagram memento for the milestone.
The “Airlift” actor on Monday shared a photo of himself with the memento given to him by Instagram.
“Here’s another gold from the good people at Instagram. Glad to share, the first Bollywood Actor (Male) to cross the 20 million followers milestone is yours truly. Thank you all once again for the love, sending lots of love and prayers your way.”
Earlier this month, the actor was seen celebrating this milestone with streamers and a boomerang video.
On the work front, Akshay’s recently released movie “Gold” is riding high at the box office and have a couple of movies like “Kesari”, “Housefull 4” and “Good News” on board.MUMBAI: Leo Burnett Orchard, The Leo Group’s full service integrated agency, has strengthened its senior management.
The agency has hired Menaka Menon as EVP and branch head for Bengaluru. In her new role, she will report to Leo Burnett Orchard’s COO Prashanth Challapalli. Her last stint was with FCB Ulka Bengaluru where she was the vice president.
Speaking about bringing Menaka on board, Prashanth Challapalli says, “Our ambition for Leo Burnett Orchard is to firmly drive integration via the Power of One philosophy. This has a direct bearing on the kind of people we want to bring on board – people with multiple skill sets and a hunger to drive this agenda. Menaka is the perfect fit for us. She has worn different hats in her career and brings to the table the kind of ambition, drive and skill sets we were looking for at a leadership level. On behalf of everyone at Leo Burnett Orchard, I am very happy to welcome her on board and wish her great success.”
Menaka is an alumnus of MICA, and has almost 18 years of experience across advertising and media, with FCB Ulka, J Walter Thompson, UTV and BIG 92.7FM. Menaka began her advertising journey with account management, before moving on to strategic planning and moving to a Branch Head role.
Speaking about her new role, Menaka says, “Leo Burnett Orchard is an agency poised for the future, where integration is a way of life. I am excited to be part of a team that lives and breathes this philosophy. There is a real opportunity here to expand horizons and to serve the client’s and brand’s best interests as one united team, and I look forward to being part of this vision.”
Menaka replaces Sharmine Panthaky, VP and branch head Bengaluru, who has moved on from the agency.
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.
