| | JUNE 20269IKEA has established a prod-uct development center in India, its fourth globally after Sweden, China and Vietnam, underscoring the country's growing role in the retailer's growth and manufacturing strategy. Operated by Inter IKEA Group, the center will develop home furnishing products for Indian and international mar-kets, supporting the company's design division in Sweden. The move expands IKEA's presence beyond retail and sourcing, with India already supplying products worth about $400 million annually. The new unit has been tasked with developing 500 affordable products tailored to Indian consumers, with 150 already launched and 220 in development. The center will leverage lo-cal manufacturing capabilities, resources and craftsmanship. IKEA also plans major invest-ments, store expansion and wid-er online sales across India. Pantherun Technologies has announced strategic partner-ship agreements with Dynatech Defence Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Younion Brand Experiences has appointed Sharat Kut-tikat as Chief Creative Officer (CCO), reinforcing its leadership team as it expands across indus-tries and markets. In his new role, Kuttikat will lead the agency's creative vision across India, ASEAN and ANZ, strengthening capabilities in strategy, ideation and execution.IKEA LAUNCHES INDIA DEVELOPMENT CENTRE BEYOND SOURCING PUSH PANTHERUN TEAMS UP WITH DYNATECH, SECURITY WAREHOUSE IN INDIA YOUNION APPOINTS SHARAT KUTTIKAT AS CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER CONSUMER GOODS ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE & LEADERSHIP N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons & Tata Motors says, "Entrepreneurs should focus on cash flows rather than chasing valuations. The secret of any successful company is a purpose-led business and valuation comes naturallyand Security WareHouse India Pvt. Ltd. to expand its presence and customer reach across India. Under the agreements, the two companies will represent and promote Pantherun's port-folio of industrial networking, communication, cybersecuri-ty and technology solutions through their established cus-tomer networks. The partnerships are de-signed to increase access to secure, high-performance digital infrastructure for organizations in defence, industrial automa-tion, critical infrastructure and enterprise sectors. Pantherun said the collabora-tions combine its technology ex-pertise with the implementation capabilities, market knowledge and industry relationships of its partners. The initiative aims to drive wider adoption of secure com-munication and cybersecurity solutions while helping orga-nizations meet evolving opera-tional, connectivity and digital security requirements across India's key industries. The appointment comes as Younion broadens its focus beyond technology clients into consumer, lifestyle, automotive, BFSI and healthcare sectors. With more than two de-cades of experience at agencies including McCann, Ogilvy and DDB Mudra, Kuttikat has led campaigns for several leading brands across the region. At Younion, he will oversee the development of a unified creative function, foster collab-oration between strategy, cre-ative and delivery teams, and enhance the quality, originality and effectiveness of the agen-cy's work globally.
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