MAM
AI gets a brand new story as marketers debate data, trust and creativity
MUMBAI: When machines meet marketing, sparks and questions fly. That was the mood at the 3rd India Brand Summit 2025 during a lively session titled AI Powered Branding: Reimagining Storytelling and Personalisation.
Moderated by Publicis Groupe India CEO for digital technology business Amaresh Godbole the panel brought together industry voices grappling with the fine line between automation, personalisation, and authenticity.
Tata Cliq CTO and Tata digital,VP for synergy tech Suman Guha opened with a reality check: while AI unlocks precision, data overload is a growing challenge. “Brands need to strike the right balance, AI can suggest, but it cannot substitute judgement. The winning formula lies in combining AI-driven insights with human empathy,” he said.
Adding a regulatory lens ASCI CEO & secretary general Manisha Kapoor stressed the urgency of maintaining consumer trust. “When personalisation borders on intrusion, the line between relevance and manipulation blurs. Ethical guardrails are essential if AI-led branding is to build, not break, relationships,” she warned.
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals head of digital transformation Akhil Duggal noted that AI is most effective when it complements not dictates brand building. “We’re using AI to decode consumer intent, but the human narrative must lead. Consumers don’t remember algorithms; they remember stories.”
From the BFSI perspective Fino Payments Bank head of marketing Prashant Choudhari pointed out the stakes are higher in financial services. “Trust is currency. AI can personalise offers, but one misstep erodes credibility. The challenge is scaling innovation while keeping the customer relationship sacred.”
Mediasmart chief growth officer Nikhil Kumar highlighted how AI is revolutionising programmatic advertising. “Real-time personalisation is not the future, it’s already here. But effectiveness depends on transparency. If users feel misled, personalisation backfires into alienation.”
Bringing in the social tech angle Explurger vice president Jwala Kumar underlined AI’s role in experiential storytelling. “Travel and lifestyle brands are leveraging AI to make every interaction feel personal. But authenticity is non-negotiable, people will spot the difference between engineered intimacy and genuine connection.”
As the discussion unfolded, a common thread emerged: AI can supercharge scale, speed, and segmentation, but the secret sauce remains human creativity. Technology may tailor the message, but culture, trust, and empathy define whether it lands.
By the end, Godbole summed it up neatly: “AI isn’t replacing storytellers, it’s arming them with sharper tools. The brands that thrive will be those that wield AI with responsibility, respect, and imagination.”
The session closed with consensus that 2025 is not about AI versus humans, but AI with humans, a collaboration where algorithms analyse and humans empathise, together shaping the next chapter of branding.
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.
