MAM
Agnello Dias among Fast Company’s 100 most creative people in business 2013
MUMBAI: US-based Fast Company Magazine has named Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Agnello Dias as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2013.
Ranked 59th in the coveted list that covers famous personalities from across the globe, Dias has been described as ‘India’s most decorated (and progressive) adman,’ by the magazine.
This year’s list of 100 Most Creative People spans entertainment to medicine, fashion to technology, academia to social enterprise; companies from Foursquare to Samsung to Starbuck; locations from the Mideast to the sub-Sahara.
This year has been an outstanding year in terms of creative achievements for Taproot India. While the creative boutique walked away with over 18 metals at the Goafest this year, it was named creative agency of the year at the Adfest 2013, Thailand. Further, the Gunn Report 2012 ranked the agency as the number one creative agency in India.
Dias said, “I am quite thrilled on hearing this actually, because while buried in work one normally tends to use only the advertising and marketing fields as reference points. To have been noticed, let alone recognised, across all forms of creativity and business and that too globally, is humbling to say the least.”
“This is a fantastic recognition. Aggi is the only Indian advertising professional on this list. The entire Dentsu Network is truly proud of him,” Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri said, on Agnello’s inclusion in the coveted list of business leaders.
Fast Company magazine’s 100 Most Creative People in Business list come from diverse industries around the globe. Akin to the four prior years, the 2013 edition features only people who haven’t been on any previous lists or profiled in the magazine before.
Nate Silver, whose FiveThirtyEight.com blog on the New York Times website successfully predicted the results of the US Presidential elections have been ranked numero uno on the list.
Fast Company is a progressive business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership, and design.
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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.
