Brands
Bertolli appoints Ranveer Brar as its Indian brand ambassador
MUMBAI: Italy’s Bertolli Olive Oil has appointed leading culinary expert and celebrity chef Ranveer Brar as their first Indian brand ambassador. A global market leader in olive oil, Bertolli is owned by Deoleo, the biggest olive oil company in the world.
Television personality and Masterchef India judge, Brar is famous for representing Indian food across the globe with over 20 years of experience in the food industry and more than 10 years at kitchen management positions across Indian and USA.
“Olive oil consumption is growing worldwide every year and India is one of the countries with great potential. Ranveer’s contribution to the brand will be via multiple innovative marketing campaigns that will demystify cooking with olive oil in an Indian scenario and attract a new generation to the kitchen in a fun and easy way. Bertolli is an international food brand with its core product range of olive oil, which comes in 3 types for different uses: Extra Light and Classico, which are suitable for high heat cooking and Extra Virgin, which is recommended for cold dishes such as salad or bread dips” says Deoleo, India brand manager, Riddhi Kapoor.
Speaking of the association, Brar says, “Bertolli Olive oil is not only a delicious flavoring, it is healthy too. With inherent benefits that fully match today’s growing needs for a nutritious lifestyle, the benefits of olive oil have been seen in the Mediterranean Diet for centuries and the oil can naturally lend itself to Indian cuisine with scope for great creativity in the kitchen. Olive oil is one of the most dynamic and healthy contributors in the food sector today and I am honoured to be associated with Bertolli’s core values of quality and consistency.”
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.
