MAM
Toy story triumph: Funskool wins top honour for export excellence
MUMBAI: Playtime just turned into prize time. Funskool India, the country’s biggest toymaker, has clinched the coveted platinum award from the Sports goods & toys export promotion council (SGEPC) for outstanding export performance in 2024–25.
The award, highest in its category, was presented to, Funskool India Ltd., CEO, K A Shabir at a ceremony in New Delhi attended by union minister of youth affairs and sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
Celebrating the win, Shabir said, “We are truly honoured to receive this recognition. It reflects our team’s relentless focus on quality, innovation, and excellence. At Funskool, we have always believed in showcasing India’s toy-making capabilities to the world, and this award reaffirms our mission to make India a global hub for toy manufacturing.”
Founded in 1987 and backed by the MRF Group, Funskool has been a pioneer in introducing safe, high-quality toys to Indian households, while also exporting a vast range of products worldwide. With state-of-the-art facilities in Goa and Ranipet, the company continues to raise the bar for India’s toy industry.
For parents and children alike, Funskool’s success means more than just play, it’s proof that Indian toys are winning hearts and markets across the globe. After all, when it comes to fun, this homegrown brand knows how to play to win.
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.
