Brands
India’s first ever campaign to promote Banana | Keventer Banana
MUMBAI: Initiating a new beginning in the Indian marketing space, Keventer, the largest Banana brand in India, has launched the nation’s first ever marketing campaign to promote ethylene ripened Bananas.
Banana being a low-value product and easily available throughout the year across India, not many organizations have actively promoted the consumption of the fruit. Keventer Agro, one of the fastest growing Food & Beverage companies in Eastern India, has taken a leadership stance in endorsing Banana with India’s first TVC promoting this delicious food.
While everyone’s aware of the health benefits of Banana, one of the key objectives of the campaign is to position it as a desirable diet for children of all ages. The TVC takes the protagonist (a kid) to a fantasy land where the nature celebrates the wholesome goodness of banana with Banana Dolphin, Banana Bird, Banana Butterfly, etc. The stop motion video aims at evoking fantasy in every kid’s mind, encouraging them to consume banana every day.
The TVC will be backed by a month-long high decibel campaign along with an engaging on ground activity to spread awareness about the various benefits of Keventer Banana.
Commenting on India’s first campaign to promote Banana consumption, Mr. Mayank Jalan, CMD, Keventer Agro said “The launch of the first integrated campaign to market bananas in India is an important milestone for us. With an annual sales of 30,000 tonnes, we are the largest branded banana suppliers in the country but the opportunity in India is largely untapped. The launch of this campaign is another step towards achieving our objective of making banana a staple food in every kitchen across the country.”
“Keventer Agro is the largest seller of branded bananas in India, and has been working extensively with farmers in West Bengal. We provide agronomic advice and assured buyback of produce, and this has led to a sustained improvement in the livelihoods of over 15,000 farmers in the state. Bananas are a great source of nutrition, and we are doing everything in our power to bring this “superfood” to consumers. We are confident that this campaign will leave an impression in people’s minds resulting in a deeper connect with brand Keventer.”- Informed Mr. Sunil Kajaria, CEO- Banana, Keventer Agro Ltd.
Commenting on the creative aspects of the campaign, Ms. Suparna Mucadum, EVP -Genesis Advertising Pvt. Ltd. said “Bananas are perceived as a boring fruit. We wanted to make the product fun and enjoyable, especially for the kids ……Hence stop motion has been used as a device to capture and create a romance around the product. This has been beautifully presented with the 'Banana Wonder World' story."
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.
