MAM
Synovate acquires majority stake in COMCON to expand in Russia
MUMBAI: Market research company Synovate has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the independent market research agency COMCON in Russia.
With this, Synovate becomes Russia‘s second largest research firm.
Synovate said in a statement that in the coming months, the management, operations and research capabilities of both the companies in Russia will be integrated into a single Synovate branded business.
Established in 1991, COMCON is among the four biggest research companies in Russia with offices in Moscow and St Petersburg. The business, which is currently wholly owned by COMCON management, has custom and syndicated research capabilities and an established customer base in a number of key industry sectors, including healthcare, FMCG, financial services and media.
Synovate Global CEO Robert Philpott said, “The acquisition of COMCON will make Synovate the leading market research company in Russia, with increased scale and resources, a wider range of management expertise and a more diverse client base.”
Philpott also said that the combination of COMCON‘s Russian business and Synovate‘s existing Russian operation creates an opportunity for them to be number one in the Russian market.
“Looking ahead, our significantly broader footprint in Russia will enable us to assist domestic clients to expand internationally and to support global clients in gaining access to the Russian market. This transaction therefore consolidates Synovate‘s position as a leading market research provider within the Eastern European region,” he added.
COMCON general director and founder Elena Koneva will become managing director of the new combined business with immediate effect.
Koneva said, “We have many complementary features, including our staff, services, methodologies and client sectors. This will be an exciting opportunity for us, becoming part of a leading global company and integrating the best of what we already have – great clients, great people and a great culture.”
The current managing director of Synovate Russia Panicos Ioannides will assist Koneva in her new role.
“We will integrate the business to create an even stronger team and ensuring our people is recognised as our most valuable business resource”, Koneva said.
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.
