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Duff & Phelps Opens Technology and Innovation Center in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD : Duff & Phelps, the global advisor that protects, restores and maximizes value for clients, today announced the launch of a technology and innovation center at HITEC City in Hyderabad, India. The center will focus on software development, automation and innovation with a team of experienced software engineers, technologists and senior leaders. The state-of-the-art, 150-seater facility spread over 9,000 square feet joins the firm’s footprint of more than 85 offices serving clients across 28 cities worldwide.
“Duff & Phelps is moving to the forefront of innovation in the professional services sector to deliver maximum value to our clients,” said Brett Marschke, Chief Operating Officer, Duff & Phelps. “We continue to make significant investments in tech-enabled growth to transform processes, improve efficiency and maximize turnaround times.”
Duff & Phelps entered the Indian market with the acquisition of American Appraisal in 2015. In May 2018, the firm further expanded its Indian presence with the acquisition of Kroll, a leading provider of risk mitigation and corporate investigations services. Duff & Phelps is the largest independent valuation firm globally and serves some of India’s largest companies across information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, retail, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services, among others. Duff & Phelps is also a SEBI registered Category 1 merchant bank, enabling the firm to provide fairness opinions and a wider range of valuation services to listed companies in India. In addition to Hyderabad, the firm has a presence in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.
Commenting on the expansion, Varun Gupta, Managing Director and India Country Leader for Duff & Phelps, said, “Hyderabad is an important hub for our expansion strategy for India as well as for serving our global clients. In addition to the innovation center, the Hyderabad office will also service local clients in the areas of valuation, property tax, restructuring, fraud, investigations and due diligence. India is home to the third-largest Duff & Phelps team after New York and London. The expansion demonstrates the firm’s commitment to making India a vital component in our global growth strategy.”
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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.
