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Dentsu Webchutney urges us to rethink the way we look at grades
MUMBAI: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital arm of Dentsu Aegis Network, and KAEdu- an educational consultancy company, have collaborated to introduce the progressive report card: a triumphant redesign of the linear school report card, that calls for a paradigm shift in the perception of school level education in India today.
The agency’s strategic think tanks used human-centered design thinking to first identify the inherent biases in the structure of the report card as we know it – reflecting a societal preference and pre-occupation with ‘mainstream subjects’ like languages, mathematics and science-based subjects – that have traditionally been considered true markers of a child’s intelligence, employability, and life-long success.
Dentsu Webchutney’s research teams found that as our knowledge about childhood development has expanded, the need of the hour is to prepare today’s scholar base for an emerging world in which they will hold a host of jobs that don’t even exist as yet. Research has further indicated that success in these areas will require a preparedness that goes much beyond traditional academic preparation, to that which hinges on a healthy emotional, psychological and social development of the child. More and more educational institutions are seeing the need and merit for a curriculum which supports all rounded development with every subject stream becoming equally important. The creative development of the progressive report card stems from this fundamental insight.
Introducing the concept, Dentsu Webchutney senior creative director PG Aditya mentions, “Design, for all its disruptive qualities, has not been applied to schools beyond the inclusion of interactive boards. We’ve gone one step further to apply it to the heart of the most important success parameter of a student: the report card. No parent, teacher, or school administrator is going to see a report card the same way again.”
In partnership with KA EduAssociates, the progressive report card shares a rich design story. The circular design of the report card nudges parents to distribute their attention equally to all subjects. The circle symbolises unity and equality and draws from a well-established theory of perception.
Dentsu Webchutney creative director of design Ashwin Palkar says, “We’re fortunate to work in an industry where diversity and creativity is valued. Our goal is to reach education boards to drive mass adoption. We want to reduce any friction that exists between bright, independent futures of children and dogmatic beliefs around academics of their parents.”
The team has also released a website- www.theprogressivereportcard.com, through which interested parents and schools can sign up to be part of the initiative. The idea also has an ‘open-source’ side to it: schools that wish to customise the progressive report to their curriculum will receive an instructional design kit which helps them achieve the same.
So far, the progressive report card has been piloted across schools in eight states and aims to replace the traditional report card in at least one school in every Indian state, during the academic year 2018-19.
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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.
