MAM
Creative Abbys 2013: McCann and Grey claim a grand prix each
VARCA, GOA: It‘s raining metals at the Abbys in Goa. Joining Interface Business Solutions in the advertising hall of fame at the 2013 Creative Abbys, Grey Worldwide and McCann Worldgroup have each picked up a grand prix for their work in the integrated category (sub category clothing, innerwear, footwear and accessories) and print category (sub category business and home services) respectively.
McCann Worldgroup finished this year‘s campaign with 56 Abby statuettes; seven gold, 15 silver and 33 bronze Abbys apart from the grand prix. Grey pocketed 14 metals in all adding seven silver and six bronze honours to the grand prix.
A total of 442 metals were awarded this year to 73 winning agencies. Calling it a celebration of creativity, Leo Burnett India and South Asia CEO Arvind Sharma said, “It is not only the number of entries that has increased, but the number of agencies participating has also seen a hike. This shows the confidence that every member of the advertising fraternity has in the Abbys.”
And a celebration it is going to be at the Publicis Groupe’s creative hotspot as Leo Burnett picked up 71 metals with nine gold, 35 silver and 28 bronze Abbys, though the grand prix eluded the agency.
The agency won one gold in the integrated (media and publications) category for its work on SET India‘s game show KBC-6, one in the film category (media and publication) for SET India’s Girl Child campaign, one in the outdoor category (public service, appeals and charity) for Indian Red Cross Society’s Gift Blood this Christmas, two in the radio category – one for Tata Salt Lite’s Society campaign in the subcategory food and one for creating the KBC Anthem for SET India in the subcategory media and publications, two in the radio craft category – Tata Salt Lite Society campaign and the KBC Anthem for SET India(subcategory writing), one in the print craft (illustration) for its work on the Heinz Tomato Ketchup brand and one in the design category (environment design) for the reflection of music installation it created for MTV’s Coke Studio.
Leo Burnett Solutions, the creative agency’s digital arm also bagged three metals (two silver and one bronze), taking the network’s tally to 74.
Despite the withdrawal of 13 entries at advanced stages of judging, JWT India bagged 48 Abby metals this year including five gold, 17 silver and 26 bronze awards. ideas@work advertising took home 29 metals with one gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze Abbys.
Other agencies to pocket a gold include Taproot India, The Dentsu Group, BBDO Proximity, Bang Bang Films, Contract Advertising, DDB Mudra Group, Scarecrow Communications and Publicis Communications.
The creative Abbys received a staggering 4300 entries (50 more than last year) from nearly 173 agencies.
This year saw the inclusion of of a new category in the creative Abbys in Branded Content. The category had 12 winners in its first year with two entries winning gold, five winning silver and five winning bronze. JWT India took one gold for Zinkdagi Abhi BAki Hai for Birla Sun Life Insurance and the other went to Scarecrow Communications for the brand B’LUE’s Reveal Yourself: 1 song, 1500 lyricists.
“With the inclusion of this category, we have opened the doors of partcipation to not only creative and media agencies but also entities like broadcasters, content companies and production houses,”said Percept Ltd’s Ajay Chandawani.
This year, the creative Abbys had its fair share of controversies. First leading agency and consistent award winner Ogilvy and Mather declared that it would not participate in the awards. Last year, Ogilvy emerged the leading award aggregator with 51 metals, including a grand prix for its work on Fox Crime. The next scam to erupt was the Ford Figo poster campaign conceptualised by JWT that started the debate on scam ads and the accountability issue in the client-agency relationship anew and saw the exit of Bobby Pawar from his post as managing partner and chief creative officer at JWT India.
JWT India‘s entries for its campaign for Ford Figo were withdrawn from the awards.
As a consequence of this development Creativeland Asia (CLA) founder Raj Kurup decided to withdraw his name from all the juries in the creative Abby judges process and also requested that all entries from his agencies be revoked. The latter request was however denied since the judging process was almost 90 per cent complete. CLA completed its run at the Abbys this year with seven metal – three silver and four bronze.
Summing up the creative Abbys this year Sharma said, “In the end, its been a successful year. Let us look at this way – this year, we have recognised and awarded over 400 creative ideas which i believe is a great thing for the industry.”
We will raise a toast to that! Sante!
Click here for Award Telly:
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.
