MAM
Accountability on investments is Fulcrum mantra for 2005
MUMBAI: Group M’s media agency dedicated to planning and buying for Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) MindShare Fulcrum is in an overdrive mode. The agency is looking at moving towards a fully integrated unit in 2005. “Fulcrum will raise the bar on providing greater accountability to client’s investments along with providing end to end communication solutions” says MindShare Fulcrum general manager R Gowthaman.
While the agency’s focus last year was to provide channel neutral solutions to its client, this year the spotlight will be on making clients’ investments more accountable. The core team of Fulcrum has Pat Vinayak who heads buying for HLL, while Amol Dighe handles TV buying and Himanshu Shekhar is in charge of non-TV buying. Planning on the other hand is looked after by Madhusudhan. Fulcrum Bangalore has a five member team driven by Heman Desai.
Gowthaman asserts that MindShare Fulcrum has realigned itself as an end to end communications services by focusing aggressively on print, television, activation, rural activation, outdoor, cinema and online advertising.
The focus this year will be on activation and non-traditional media, since the clutter level in the television space is very high and one has to look beyond television. Creating new channels like tie-ups with new channels across eating and drinking, entertainment, education etc., increasing brand awareness and brand benefits will be the way forward. “We will also be focusing on channel neutral solutions and are on the lookout for a research professional whose knowledge resources can scale up our projects,” informs Gowthaman.
Accountability is another aspect that the agency is strongly focusing on. “We now have a clear structure in place and the accountability factor at Fulcrum has evolved over a long period of time. We have further crystallised it over the last three to four months,” says Gowthaman.
Stress is being laid on generating more accountability in the television space. “We will be developing new ways of looking at rates and will be looking beyond gross rating points (GRPs). Secondly we will also be pondering on the important question – When should one stop advertising on television?” he added. The problem only got aggravated with the number of new channels coming in, thus leading to fragmentation.
After taking on Fulcrum’s reins from Vikram Sakhuja mid last year, Gowthaman rearranged the team so as to increase accountability levels in the agency. That will be the natural progression this year and the way forward for MindShare Fulcrum.
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.
