MAM
Bikano ropes in Chhota Bheem for launch of new snack range
Mumbai: Snacks major Bikano has taken the license for one of India’s most popular kids-show characters Chhota Bheem for the launch of its extruded products range under the sub-brand ‘Fatax’. The new offerings include Ringz (masala and tomato flavour), Puffeez, Cheese Balls, Pasta Crunch, and Jungle Safari.
The launch is aimed at augmenting Bikano’s presence in the rapidly growing ‘western snacks’ market (valued at RS 16000 crore) within which extrudes have witnessed significant growth and continue to expand at 23-25 per cent. In India, the extrude snacks market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20 per cent by 2024, the company said in a statement.
Major factors driving increased consumption in this category are growing young population, rising per capita income, and competitive pricing as well as the introduction of smaller packs, it added.
In order to penetrate this growing market, Bikano has targeted its revamped extrude range at children aged three to ten years. The company will be running a digital campaign and TVC to promote the new offerings and its association with Chhota Bheem.
“With its unique and message-driven content, Chhota Bheem has been consistently capturing the hearts of kids in India and globally all these years,” said Bikano, director, Manish Aggarwal. “This collaboration will not only attract kids to our offerings but will also drive them towards more diversified snacking options. Western snacks as a category is currently led by chips, with extrude being a small part of it. We want to drive growth in this segment as the market is ever-expanding. With our new sub-brand ‘Fatax’, we aim to deliver the best products and further develop the category in our portfolio. Offering new products on a regular basis has been our prime focus. Apart from that, the new range is expected to give us a sales surge of up to Rs 15 crore in this fiscal.”
Speaking on looping Chhota Bheem for the launch, Bikano, head of marketing, Dawinder Pal, stated, “Puffed and extruded snacks are a major trend nowadays, as they provide numerous options with plenty of interesting combinations of flavours. However, along with taste and flavour, we also need a compelling product story and visual appeal to target kids and youngsters. Chhota Bheem has a high recall among our TG. This association will enable us to get an edge over our rivals and drive sales for the category.”
The new products are available across Bikano’s general and modern trade network.
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.
