MAM
HT Media attacks TV news in its new film
The HT Media Group has relaunched its flagship brand Hindustan Times in an all-new digital-first avatar. The English daily, with a legacy of over 96 years and a total readership of eight million across India (TR, IRS Q4’19), has undergone a complete re-design that addresses the multi-platform shareable news consumption habits of today’s generation, particularly the millennials.
The refreshed HT product portfolio, including HT City and Brunch, is replete with elements that offer seamless print to digital integrations. It further gives the readers more than what is available on just the print medium via QR Codes, video pointers, links to podcasts and photo galleries that direct the readers to HT’s digital platforms to experience, engage and express more.
In terms of the new design elements, HT has launched its new logo that is classic yet contemporary, evoking the credible legacy that the brand brings to its modern-day readers. The thoughtfully crafted crest captures the journey of the brand from ‘quill to cursor’ and the values the brand has embodied since its inception in 1924 – ‘Clarity and Credibility’.
HT has also unveiled its new positioning – First Voice, Last Word. It represents the ethos of the brand with its continued promise of credible journalism, especially in today’s information-addled world. While the First Voice alludes to its digital-first agile approach, which is always the first to raise issues faced by the citizens today, the Last Word captures the essence of journalistic excellence associated with a credible, trusted and respected news brand.
Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has worked on the integrated campaign of the relaunch. The campaign maintains a sharp millennial focus in the messaging and design contours.
The campaign film showcases a young woman addressing to the camera about how the audiences today are being fed with broken news that does not make anyone wiser. She attacks the format in which the news stories are broken, discussed and disintegrated on social media platforms, and debated further in evenings leaving anything but the truth aside. Towards the end, she brings to fore the HT’s positioning of ‘first word and last voice’.
“The media landscape has undergone an immense transformation in the past decade and despite the testing times, Hindustan Times continues to make strides as a market leader to give the ‘news consumers’ what they are seeking and how they are seeking it. This refreshed product fits the fast-paced, knowledge-seeking needs of the millennials without alienating the older generation who are also fast adapting to the new ways of news consumption. We are extremely excited about this new offering and are certain that this raises the bar for the news industry in our country” said HT Media Ltd group CMO Rajan Bhalla.
Dentsu Impact CCO Soumitra Karnik added, "Our focus was to make this campaign around the brand new format of HT; not just the design part of it but the core idea of becoming the most authentic news source available to its subscribers across all platforms. The new generation of news seekers are seeking absolute truth in the news they consume. They are tired of sensationalism; they are asking hard questions about the current state of journalism and they are expressing themselves freely and fearlessly across all platforms. And It is this relentless quest for the truth that we have tried to bring to life through a hard-hitting and thought-provoking narrative, voiced by the young and impactful social commentator, Aranya Johar – a representative for the responsible and aware millennial. The all-new HT is a fantastic product. The newspaper is interactive that impeccably integrates the print-to-screen reading experience.”
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.
