Brands
Suzuki Motorcycle launches Let’s in Karnartaka
BENGALURU: Suzuki Motorcycles India (SMIL) announced the third leg of the south India launch of its new personal scooter “Let’s” in Bengaluru.
The scooter was earlier launched on 6 May in Chennai and on 12 May in Kochi. Next on the agenda is Andhra Pradesh, to be followed by Pune and Ahmedabad, and, later on the north and the eastern parts of the country.
The company reveals that for Karnataka, it has booked 52,360 seconds and over 2,200 spots across leading television channels and 108,000 seconds and 4,320 spots across leading radio stations of major cities in the state. Besides, SMIL has planned over 50 insertions across leading newspapers in the state and advertisement play outs in 150 cinema theaters across key cities in Karnataka. The 360 degree advertising plan also includes hoardings, ads on bus shelters, demo vans and presence across social media platforms like facebook, titter, youtube, etc.
“The media plan has been chalked out with our media buying agency, Brand Serve. The new creative commercial with Parineeti Chopra has been done by Publicis Capital, the creative agency for the brand,” says SMIL’s national marketing head Anu Anamika.
“Typically, our marketing spends are around 20 per cent of revenues, this includes advertising budgets as well as other marketing activities, and we will also be doing 360 advertising pan-India once the product launch is rolled out across the nation,” further informs Anamika.
The company plans to target university students in cities, beginners who have just got their license and young professionals in urban areas with Let’s, and plans to sell around 100,000 of them this fiscal. SMIL national head – marketing Atul Gupta says, “We have 12 per cent market share in India and a 16 per cent market share in Karnataka in the scooters segment. With the Let’s launch, we envisage it to grow to 15 per cent in India and 22 per cent in Karnataka.”
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.
