MAM
PUMA announces Sunil Chhetri as brand ambassador
MUMBAI: Global sports brand PUMA has announced Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian National Football team and Bengaluru FC signed with the brand. A captain, leader and a legend, he is the second-highest after Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of active international scorers in world football. Signing a three-year deal with PUMA, he now joins the brand’s roster of global players like Antoine Griezmann, Romelu Lukaku, Luis Suárez and Sergio Aguero among others.
One of the greatest footballers India has ever seen, Sunil Chhetri plays as a striker for the national team and Bengaluru FC. A hero for both the club and the country, he is the most-capped player and also the all-time top goal scorer for the Indian team. Named AIFF Player of the Year six times, he was also conferred with the Arjuna award in 2011 and Padma Shri in 2019 among several other coveted sports honors.
“I am excited to join the PUMA family. Over the years, I have closely witnessed and experienced the brand’s football heritage. Now signing with them as a PUMA player is a very natural progression for me,” said Sunil Chhetri. “We share a common goal to accelerate the growth of football in the country. I appreciate their commitment to the sporting ecosystem and look forward to creating a new chapter for Indian football,” he added.
This partnership extends PUMA’s legacy with Indian football. From its longstanding association with Bengaluru Football Club since 2014 to individual agreements with players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthe, Nishu Kumar and Rahul Bheke, the brand aims to further its commitment to the sport and talent.
PUMA India managing director Abhishek Ganguly said, “Sunil Chhetri is synonymous with football. A living legend and an inspiration for the youth, he has made a huge impact to grow the sport and its following in India. His passion is very much in line with PUMA’s vision. Together, we are invested in growing the culture of football, inspiring and achieving new levels in the game.”
PUMA has teamed up with the country’s best athletes to support their never-ending effort to become faster, stronger, and better every single day. From Indian Cricket Captain, Virat Kohli and boxing champion MC Mary Kom to ace sprinter Dutee Chand, the brand is fueling the growing passion for sports across disciplines.
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.
