MAM
Havas Media APAC hires Naman Sharma as head- research & analytics
MUMBAI: Havas Media Asia Pacific has appointed Naman Sharma as the head of research and analytics for Asia Pacific.
Based out of Singapore, Sharma will lead research and analytics discipline at Havas Media and manage the deployment of the group‘s proprietary tools across APAC. He will also be responsible for the roll out of Econometric Modelling function.
Sharma will report into Havas Media chief strategy officer SK Biswas.
His last stint was with OMD West Africa where he was heading research and strategy.
Biswas said, “Research and analytics as a discipline is the cornerstone of an effective marketing strategy and we have been putting a lot of emphasis on the discipline to ensure the most efficient use of marketing dollars for our clients. We are fortunate to have found someone of Naman‘s calibre to join the team. He has extensive experience in primary market research with a specialisation in large syndicated media researches. I have no doubt that he will prove to be a major asset not only for us but for our existing and prospective clients as well.”
Sharma added, “I am very excited by the opportunity to work with Havas Media. One of my key responsibilities is to lead seamless integration of group‘s proprietary tool DSS Suite across all markets in Asia. This is probably the most evolved, contemporary and comprehensive decision support system present in the world today and I am confident that they will help us deliver superior marketing RoI to our clients.”
Sharma joins the agency with more than 12 years of experience in the communications industry, having worked in leadership roles with media agencies OMD and Carat. Prior to joining OMD, he had also worked with AC Nielsen and Media Research Users Council.
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.
