MAM
Havas Media Group bags Firefox’s integrated media mandate
Mumbai: In a multi-agency pitch, Havas Media Group India won the integrated media mandate for Firefox, the top premium bicycle brand in India and a subsidiary of the Hero Cycles Group.
The mandate includes responsibilities for offline & online media, and SEO. The account will be handled by Havas Media Group managing partner (head-North1) Roopali Sharma in the agency’s Gurgaon location, under the direction of the company’s president & chief client officer Uday Mohan.
Firefox, a global leader in the premium and mid-premium bike categories since its establishment in 2004, offers an extensive and exclusive range of luxury motorcycles and accessories.
The company sells high-end, stylish mountain bikes, road bikes, city bikes (or hybrid bikes), bikes for women, kids, & juniors, electric bicycles, and adventure & outdoor gear including backpacks, bike panniers & pouches, jerseys & t-shirts, and windcheaters & breakers.
In addition to its e-commerce-enabled website, Firefox Bikes has more than 500 outlets and customer experience centres spread out across tier 1 and metro cities in India.
Firefox Bikes CEO Sriram Sundresan said, “At Firefox, we are driven by a passion for biking and adventure. Being the pathbreakers, Firefox takes pride in revolutionising biking as a means of transformation, and we’ve seen tremendous growth in the adoption of biking as a preferred lifestyle choice. In Havas, we found a partner that shares a similar passion for connecting brands and consumers through meaningful media experiences. We are delighted to have them on board as our media partners and look forward to a great partnership.”
Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “We are proud to have bagged the integrated media mandate of Firefox, a niche category brand that has pioneered the growth of premium biking in India. With people getting increasingly aware of leading a healthy lifestyle and embracing sustainable ways of living, there has been a paradigm shift in the preferred mode of transportation – from conventional ICEs to EVs to bicycles. We look forward to an adventurous partnership by further strengthening the brand’s journey and its vision, as it forges meaningful connections with its consumers.”
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.
