MAM
Arjuna Gaur appointed as CCO – dentsu Webchutney & dentsuMB
Mumbai: dentsu India has announced the appointment of Arjuna Gaur as chief creative officer (CCO), dentsu Webchutney and dentsuMB. Both agencies are part of dentsu Creative India that brings together creative, digital and PR under one umbrella.
In his new role, Gaur will work toward expanding the creative mandate for both agencies. He will lead creative thought leadership across the network and combine the expertise of dentsu Webchutney and dentsuMB to deliver future-forward creative solutions for clients, said the agency in a statement.
Gaur will report to dentsu Creative India group chief creative officer India (GCCO) Ajay Gahlaut. “It is a privilege to have yet another brilliant creative onboard as part of the team. Arjuna is a rare creative person who is equally adept at traditional and new-age media,” said Gahlaut on the new appointment. “He has added great value to the brands that he has been associated with. We are looking forward to him significantly raising the creative quality of our output and adding even more value to the solutions that we provide to our clients.”
With more than 16 years of experience, Gaur has won over 40 national and international awards. Prior to this, he has held creative leadership roles at agencies like Leo Burnett India, MNC Saatchi Kuala Lumpur, BBDO India, and Grey. In his professional journey thus far, Gaur has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Amazon, P&G, PepsiCo, Wrigley’s, Celcom, Airtel, GE India, HP, Apple, Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank and Spotify amongst others. He has also worked with teams that have produced some of the best campaigns of the decade. He has been a filmmaker with Equinox Films, and is a multi-instrumental musician and collector of vintage computer hardware.
Speaking on his role, Gaur said, “The talent and energy of the creative teams at Dentsu Webchutney & dentsuMB are limitless and frankly, a little intimidating. There is no better creative role in the country right now than this.”
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.
