MAM
Havas ups Asiya Bakht as Asia Pacific Communications head; strengthens Havas Village
MUMBAI: As part of its strategy to adopt a Havas Village model, Havas has promoted Asiya Bakht to the group’s director of marketing and communications for Asia Pacific. As director of marketing and communications for Havas Asia Pacific Bakht will drive visibility and awareness of Havas in the region and report to Southeast Asia CEO Levent Guenes.
The move follows the consolidation of marketing communications function in other key markets in Asia Pacific such as Australia, China, India and the Philippines.
In her newly defined role Bakht will be responsible for driving marketing and communications for all creative, media and specialist brands of Havas Asia, which include the flagship brands Havas Worldwide and Havas Media.
“We are delighted to welcome Bakht. Her impressive performance at Havas Media and understanding of the group’s culture played an important role in her selection as a communications lead,” says Havas creative group Asia Pacific, chairman, Juan Rocamora.
“When we were looking for someone to lead marketing for Havas as a group we couldn’t think of a better person than Bakht,” adds Havas Media Group Asia Pacific, CEO Vishnu Mohan. “She is not only committed to Havas’ vision of meaningful communications and collaboration, but also shares excellent relationships with stake holders within the group.”
“Bakht’s promotion is a testament to our collaborative ‘together’ culture, which allows us to leverage skills and talent available across the network, “said Havas Creative Group Southeast Asia, CEO Levent Guenes.
“We are very excited to have her on board and looking forward to working with her to further raise Havas’ profile in the region.”
Havas Village is a client centric organisation that brings all disciplines and teams in the agency – creative, media and digital – under one roof and is the foundation of group’s collaborative culture. The Village mode aims to simplify the agency’s offering for clients by aligning resources, production, analytics and insights across divisions thus driving greater efficiency and effectiveness.
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.
