MAM
Mindshare MENA promotes Ravi Rao as CEO as Samir Ayoub resigns
MUMBAI: Mindshare MENA CEO Samir Ayoub has resigned from his post and has been appointed delegate of the board at the agency. Ayoub will transition from his current role as CEO, on 1 February, 2016 and continue to act as an advisor and consultant on all matters related to the agency until July 2016.
Stepping up to the CEO role will be Mindshare MENA chief client officer and UAE team lead Ravi Rao.
Ayoub, who has led Mindshare MENA since 1999, previously headed up Ogilvy Media. Throughout his 26-year tenure with WPP companies, Ayoub has built up world-class media offerings in the region. His in-depth knowledge of the multiple markets and its consumers’ lifestyles, habits and choices, has supported local and international brands in developing their market share across regional geographies.
Rao joined Mindshare MENA in May 2015 as chief client officer and in October took on additional responsibility for leading the UAE team. Previously Rao led Mindshare South Asia as CEO for three years. Rao’s nine plus years experience with WPP companies has honed his transformational expertise, which will now support the Mindshare MENA network as it continues to create cutting edge products for its clients and their brands. Rao will leverage new opportunities to further develop the agency’s strategic business alliances and deliver network growth across agency disciplines and client categories.
WPP MENA director Roy Haddad and Mindshare MENA chairman Edmond Moutran jointly commented, “Whilst Samir will be leaving the day-to-day operations of the agency in February, he will remain a valued member of the team as delegate of the Mindshare MENA board, continuing to support and facilitate the agency’s initiatives that keep it future ready and a sought after media partner in the region.”
Ayoub said, “My time with Mindshare has been rewarding and exhilarating. Much has changed in the consumer and media landscape since I took on the CEO role 17 years ago. I am delighted that the company will continue to flourish, guided by the experienced and capable hands of my friend and colleague Ravi Rao. In the coming months and years ahead, I look forward to celebrating its continued achievements.”
Tasked with further developing the agency’s offering, Rao added, “It is most satisfying that I was one of ‘the Day 1 employees’ when Mindshare was set up in the region way back in 1999. A real privilege now to lead Mindshare MENA and I really look forward to further building on the success of our strong team and a world-class product so our client partners benefit the most by driving the Adaptive Marketing vision.”
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
