MAM
Big Trunk Communications onboards Anand Kumar as COO
MUMBAI: Creative-digital agency Big Trunk Communications has roped in DDB Mudra Group’s Anand Kumar as the chief operations officer. He will be based in Big Trunk’s Mumbai office and head all the strategic growth functions of the organisation.
With an experience of over 18 years in the advertising and media network, Kumar has previously worked with organisations like Komli SVG Media, Radio Mirchi, Vizeum Media, TV18 Group.
During his last assignment as senior partner – digital at DDB, he has been credited with building the entire team and driving fast track growth for the agency in terms of revenues and profitability. He was primarily responsible for acquiring new business and managing key existing clients like TCSiON, Shapoorji, and Pallonji, HDFC MF, Edelweiss to name a few.
An IIM Indore alum, Kumar has had a rich career across both offline and online forms of advertising with multiple high-profile awards under his belt.
“Big Trunk Communications has welcomed me with open arms and has shown great faith in me. My core focus at Big Trunk would be on enhancing the business and catapulting the organisation to the next level. Looking forward to working with amazing minds from the team and #MakeBigHappen together,” said Kumar.
Big Trunk Communications CEO Akhil Nair said, “Anand has been a champion in all his previous assignments, having a very strong entrepreneurial understanding of managing a P & L, understanding people, systems, and processes and above all having a very strong understanding of organisational culture and value systems. We are absolutely certain that with his rich experience and outstanding capabilities, Anand will definitely propel Big Trunk into the desired path of high growth and increased productivity.”
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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.
