MAM
4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry
MUMBAI: The 4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards was a glorious affair where the who’s who of the marketing, advertising and media industry got together to facilitate the best work amongst their peers and recognise the stalwarts who are leading their teams best in this dynamic ecosystem. Union Minister of States of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest and presented the awards to the best creative minds.
The evening also lent itself to many learnings and forward thinking discussions for the industry at large. Viacom 18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats in his opening address defined the three ‘I’s and an ‘A’ as ‘ Inference’, ‘influence’, ‘intuition’ and ‘agility’. Elucidating, Vats said a great leader must infer from the emerging trends that he sees around, must take his contacts and networking seriously and be ready to influence with the resources he has at his disposal, be intuitive with the current changing dynamics and be able to translate his judgement into action quickly.
Speaking on the occasion, IAA’s India Chapter president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards are testimony of the inspirational work that industry leaders and creative minds accomplish during the course of the year. Today, we are celebrating the extraordinary work and journey of the industry at large from the year gone by. The campaigns have achieved much success in the brand’s positioning and perception. I congratulate the winners and hope to see such incredible work for years to come.”
Seconding him, IAA Leadership Awards committee chairman Sam Balsara said, “This year, at the 4th IAA Leadership Awards, we have seen some tough competition that has been carried out by teams across industries. The decision-making process has been robust and after deep deliberation, we have finally arrived on the list of winners who have been honoured today. As the evening draws to a close, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and look forward to some great work from them in coming years”.
While Aditya Birla Group CEO Kumar Mangalam Birla took away the CEO of the Year award, ICICI Prudential digital business and marketing EVP and head Manish Dubey, Hindustan Unilever;s Samir Singh, Lenovo marketing director Bhaskar Choudhuri and Maruti Suzuki’s Randhir Singh Kalsi were amongst the few who won the much coveted The Marketer of the Year Awards that were given away in 14 categories. Birla credited his win to his impeccable team which is forward thinking and intuitive to the market changes.
Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin was awarded with The Media Agency Head of the Year Award. Sharing his joy for being acknowledged for the hard work, Bhasin added, “As late entrants in the industry, it gives me immense joy and pride in the organization’s efforts. We sort of challenged the market with a target to be the second best in the field by 2017. Acknowledgements such as this from such a well recognised body makes me feel that we are on the right track and gives us the confidence to move forward.”
Upon bagging the Creative Agency Head of The Year, BBDO India chairman and CCO, Josy Paul said, “”This is not just a leadership award, it’s a leadership ‘team’ award. I am receiving it on behalf of my partner Ajai Jhala and the amazing leaders at BBDO India who create the outstanding work that gives me this moment of glory. I share it with them. I’m nothing without them.”
In television, Colors CEO Raj Nayak was awarded the Media Person of the year, while India TV chairman and editor in chief Rajat Sharma was recognised as the Television Anchor of the Year. In the special categories, Bharat Patel was included in the Hall of Fame, while actor Varun Dhawan was awarded as the Brand Endorser of The Year.
The 4th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards recognized the achievements of diverse groups of individuals for their incredible contribution in designing path-breaking and high impact marketing initiatives to strengthen their respective brand’s promise and standing amongst consumers.
Congratulating the winners, Rijiju said, “I am impressed with how the evening and awards have been conceived. IAA is an important body when it comes to championing the marketers. As India is taking its rightful place in the world, the marketing and advertising world is catapulting India even faster. A decade ago, we used to have respect but we were never perceived as leaders. However, today, we receive tremendous recognition abroad. We have begun recognising our leaders – news is getting anchor-specific and editor-centric. Even Narendra Modi is a brand! This is the moment that belongs to India.”
Click here for the complete list of winners.
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Winner List for the 4th Edition of the IAA Leadership Awards |
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CATEGORY NAME |
WINNER NAME |
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Marketer of the Year – Banking |
Karthi Marshan, Kotak Mahindra Bank |
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Marketer of the Year – Insurance |
Manish Dubey, ICICI Prudential |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Food |
Varun Berry, Britannia |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Beverage |
Nadia Chauhan, Parle Agro |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Home Care |
Ajay Dang, Godrej |
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Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Personal Care |
Samir Singh, Hindustan Unilever |
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Marketer of the Year – Auto: Two-Wheelers |
Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter |
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Marketer of the Year – Auto: Passenger Vehicles |
Randhir Singh Kalsi, Maruti Suzuki |
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Marketer of the Year – Consumer Durables |
Ranjivjit Singh, Samsung |
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Marketer of the Year – Mobile Devices |
Bhaskar Choudhari, Lenovo |
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Marketer of the Year – Mobile Services |
Srinivasan Gopalan, Bharti Airtel |
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Marketer of the Year – E-Commerce |
Amit Agarwal, Amazon |
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Marketer of the Year – Home Improvement |
Amit Syngle, Asian Paints |
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Marketer of the Year – Retail |
Sanjay Behl, Raymond |
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CEO of the Year |
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group |
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Media Person of the Year |
Raj Nayak, COLORS |
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Television Anchor of the Year |
Rajat Sharma, India TV |
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News Editor of the Year |
Sanjay Gupta, Dainik Jagran |
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Media Agency Head of the Year |
Ashish Bhasin, Dentsu |
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Creative Agency Head of the Year |
Josy Paul, BBDO |
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Hall of Fame |
Bharat Patel |
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Brand Endorser of the Year |
Varun Dhawan |
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.
