MAM
S Swaminathan elevated as executive director – group strategy at RK Swamy Hansa
NEW DELHI: Indian marketing services group RK Swamy Hansa has promoted Hansa Customer Equity (Hansa Cequity) co-founder and CEO S Swaminathan as executive director – group strategy. He will take on the charge from 1 January 2021 with the aim to build a ‘total digital’ blueprint and drive integration of its offerings for the benefit of clients.
Swaminathan said, “It has been a remarkable journey and experience for me in building Hansa Cequity. The group is exceptionally patient, and I was able to build the competence and client base without ever having to answer awkward questions from investors. I have personally grown and am proud of what we have built. It is time to move to the next level, and bring more integrated solutions to clients in this challenging market.”
RK Swamy Hansa Group chairperson Srinivasan K Swamy said, “We recognised very early the rising adoption of technology and analytics in marketing and were first off the block 13 years ago on this journey. We aim to be at the forefront of the integration of marketing communications, technology, digital and analytics. We recently opened our office in Singapore and have a presence in the US. We plan to take our offering across geographies as the blueprint gets ready.”
Group CEO Shekar Swamy said, “Hansa Cequity has a strong client portfolio, professional talent, and an experienced management team led by Neeraj Pratap Sangani as COO at the helm. The company is well recognised by clients in martech and analytics in India. We have built strong capability across multiple disciplines in the group. We have a compelling offering to add value to clients and their brands globally, in an increasing technology, data-rich and digital-first world. Swami is the ideal leader for this. He will continue to be on the board of Hansa Cequity and provide strategic direction to Hansa Cequity.”
Swaminathan is an engineering and management graduate with three decades of work experience, having worked on both sides — marketing communications as well as technology and analytics.
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.
