MAM
Bajaj Electricals gets Leo Burnett on-board as creative agency
BENGALURU: Consumer durables and lighting major Bajaj Electricals has entrusted its creative duties to Leo Burnett, a senior executive from the company informed.
Bajaj executive director – consumer products P S Tandon said Touchstone was the incumbent agency.
The company is already running a teaser outdoor billboard and movable boards on vans campaign to increase the curiosity factor over the past few days in Bengaluru.
It has also launched a campaign for its new range of mixer grinders which went live on outdoor and the print media. Once the products are launched across South India followed by a pan-India presence, the company plans to use television for mass media communications.
“South India is a priority market for Bajaj Mixer Grinders,” said Bajaj VP & Head for Sales & Marketing (Kitchen Appliances) Pradeep Patil. “The range will be priced between Rs. 3000 and Rs .4000 and comes with a two year guarantee for the product and five year warranty for the motor,” he said further.
The new range has been launched in Bangalore initially, to be followed by the rest of the country later, says Tandon.
“We spend about Rs 750 million annual towards B2C. Besides, we spend another Rs 100 million or so towards B2B,” Tandon said.
“This is the festival season and our campaigns are on air at present on women oriented programs in the afternoon on national and regional channels, besides which we have been promoting our products through association with movies too.”
With Rs 31 billion in annual revenues the company is targeting a 20 to 30 percent growth this year.
“Our media plans for the new range of mixer-grinders in being worked upon and once the pan India launch is complete, we will be on air for these new products on the national and regional channels,” he added.
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.
