MAM
IAA Leadership Award announced winners for sixth edition
MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association (IAA) organised the sixth edition of IAA Leadership Awards 2018.
IAA president Ramesh Narayan said, “A unique power-packed event, we have with us advertisers, media, corporates all assembled to salute excellence in leadership. This is very inspirational. India chapter has been leading from the front to name a few initiatives #WorktoLivetoWork, IAA Mentorship for Women, IndIAA Regional Awards, Reigniting the Artist and Storyteller in you, IAA Olive Crown Awards, IndIAA national awards and for the first time in 80 years we have IAA World Congress being hosted in Kochi in February 2019.”
A panel discussion was moderated by Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India with eminent panellists –Sanjay Behl CEO Raymond, Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG MediaBrands and Prathyusha Agarwal, chief marketing officer, ZEEL on television medium being a strong influencer. Sanjay touched upon the importance of reach, intensity and quality. Prathyusha mentioned how emotionally invested and involved people are when they see television and with the coming of Digital the loop can now be closed. Shashi Sinha urged marketers to explore as he was of the strong opinion that television is still under-utilised and holds immense potential.
“TV today reaches 836 million individuals across India, we as Indians still are TV fanatics. People are spending 4 hours on TV in the South of India. Almost 12 hours of advertising gets telecasted in India. Hindi content is still ruling, 688 million viewers are watching GEC serials while at a similar number 680 million are watching movies which is a higher number than people who watch movies in the theatre. Sport as a genre is also going up. Overall, I would say TV is the biggest dominant medium today and will continue to grow,” said Dasgupta.
Piramal Group chairman Ajay Piramal was honoured as the IAA Business Leader of the Year. He said “I am honoured to receive the Business Leader of the Year Award 2018 by International Advertising Association. At Piramal Group, our deep driving desire has been our values of knowledge, action, care and impact. This value-driven path has helped us create value for the group and our stakeholders, and provides us with a purpose of ‘Doing Well and Doing Good’. As trustees, we act in the best interest of all our stakeholders, to create mutual, enduring value; and make a positive difference to the world around us.”
IAA India inducted Sam Balsara into the IAA Hall of Fame for doing so much more than just founding and building a great communication company. Membership to the Indian Chapter of IAA is by invitation only and IAA has very senior marketing, advertising and media professionals as it members. IAA in India is seen as the most active chapter by IAA Global. IAA India is well-recognized for some of its marquee events like the IAA Leadership Awards, IAA Olive Crown Awards, IAA Debates, IAA Conversations, IAA Young Turks Forum and an array of IAA Knowledge Seminars, Webinars, Workshops, Conclaves etc.
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.
