MAM
FCB Kinnect names Neville Shah as the new CCO
Mumbai: FCB Kinnect, part of FCB Group India, welcomes Neville Shah as its new chief creative officer, representing a pivotal moment in the agency’s continuous creative progression.
As chief creative officer, Neville will partner closely with FCB Kinnect’s CEO Rohan Mehta and COO Chandni Shah to lead the offices for FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX across the country. He will also be a key member of FCB Group India’s creative leadership, collaborating with leaders across agencies to continue elevating the work across the network.
With over twenty years of experience, Neville emerges as a profound creative leader for the modern era, consistently advocating for curiosity. He has worked on brands like Mondelez, Bajaj Auto, Chevrolet, Standard Chartered Bank, Star Sports, Amazon, and more, embracing uniqueness and steering them toward the quest for creative brilliance.
On his appointment, Dheeraj Sinha, FCB Group CEO of India and South Asia, said, “Neville joins us at such an exciting time for the FCB Group in India, where we are forging a new phase of growth and glory. His passion for modern creativity and adeptness at leveraging data and technology make him an exceptional addition to our team. Under his leadership, we will continue to foster an environment that celebrates creativity as an economic multiplier, empowers talent, and produces globally benchmarked work that sets the standard for innovation and excellence in our industry.”
FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX India chief executive officer Rohan Mehta said on the appointment, “Neville’s professional journey has been truly remarkable, marked by outstanding growth. We are excited about the opportunity this presents for our young creatives to enhance their craft under his mentorship. In today’s advertising landscape, humour serves as a powerful catalyst, and with Neville, we anticipate leveraging this element even more effectively for our brands. With him at the helm, we aim to foster a unified creative culture at FCB Kinnect, where innovation is a collective pursuit that spans across verticals, to deliver unparalleled digital-first creative solutions to our clients.”
FCB Kinnect chief creative officer Neville Shah added, “I am very excited to be part of FCB Kinnect. Every conversation has been about driving great creative work and strengthening creative culture. There is so much talent, so many resources to make great things happen here. We are in the business of ideas and great ideas are what we will chase. It’s what will help our clients win and put us on the global map. The agency and the group are rife with ambition and there’s no better time to start this journey.”
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.
