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Seattle Orcas partners with Sportz Interactive as the official digital agency
Mumbai: Seattle Orcas, the flagship Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise representing the Pacific Northwest, have partnered with Sportz Interactive (SI) as its official digital agency. This marks a significant milestone as it represents SI’s first collaboration with a MLC team.
Sportz Interactive will play a pivotal role in enhancing Seattle Orcas’ digital presence, focusing on fan acquisition, retention, and commercialization. The partnership aims to elevate the overall fan experience while creating meaningful interactions between the team, its supporters, and its sponsors.
In the first year of this exciting collaboration, Sportz Interactive will concentrate on harnessing first-party data, ensuring robust retention strategies on various social media platforms, and contributing to the creation of substantial value within the Seattle Orcas’ ecosystem. This approach aligns with SI’s commitment to delivering innovative and engaging digital solutions.
“Seattle Orcas are thrilled to welcome Sportz Interactive into our family as our official digital agency,” said Seattle Orcas co-owner Sanjay Parthasarathy. “In this digital age, establishing a strong, unique and different online presence is crucial, and we believe Sportz Interactive’s expertise will bring an added perspective to our engagement strategies”.
Sportz Interactive is known for its commitment to storytelling and this ethos will be at the core of its collaboration with Seattle Orcas. The digital agency brings a wealth of experience in crafting compelling narratives that resonate with audiences, contributing to a deeper connection between the team and its supporters.
“We are excited to embark on this journey with Seattle Orcas, our first Major League Cricket team. Through this relationship, we aim to elevate the digital presence of Seattle Orcas, build a loyal fan base and create long term commercial value for the franchise,” said Sportz Interactive CEO Siddharth Raman.
As Seattle Orcas and Sportz Interactive join forces, they look forward to setting new benchmarks in the digital landscape of Major League Cricket. The partnership is poised to bring fresh and innovative digital experiences to fans, fostering a deeper sense of community and engagement.
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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.
