MAM
JSW Steel signs Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador
MUMBAI: JSW Steel, India’s leading steel producer and the flagship company of the $14 billion JSW Group, has signed Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as its brand ambassador to promote its steel products which include JSW Colouron+ color coated sheets & JSW Neosteel TMT bars, for a three-year period.
India, currently the second largest steel producer in the world, has embarked on a journey to enhance its steel manufacturing capacity from 142 MTPA to 300 MTPA by 2030 through the Indian National Steel Policy. India’s per capita consumption of steel currently stands at 74 Kg and is estimated to increase exponentially to 160 Kg by 2030. Compared with the world current average of 212 kg per capita, the tremendous scope and potential for growth is evident. In the last one and a half decades, Indian steel manufacturers have invested large amounts of capital in setting up state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to produce high-end steel products to meet the exacting demands of the end-user industry. The continued growth of the Indian economy is expected to further boost India’s core economy industries with significant growth expected across infrastructure in the construction, real estate, capital goods, automobile and energy sectors. JSW Steel aims to play a significant role in India’s growth story. In its efforts to lead the growth, JSW Steel has embarked on a series of capacity expansion projects to reach 45 MTPA by FY30.
According to Parth Jindal of JSW Group, “JSW Group’s philosophy – ‘Better Everyday’ guides us to positively improve all the lives we touch. It enables us to hold a unique and differentiated place in the minds of our customers. Our continued focus on making high quality products and ensuring that they are easily accessible to consumers across India lets us to participate in building a modern India. As a brand we believe that we are young, hungry, fearless and world class, the same traits we see in Rishabh Pant. We are thrilled to have Rishabh as our brand ambassador and have no doubt that this partnership will be beneficial and increase the recall for the JSW Neosteel and JSW Coloron+ brands.”
Commenting on his association with JSW Steel, Rishabh Pant said, “I am very happy to partner with JSW Steel. I sincerely believe that this is the beginning of a very long and exciting association. It makes me proud to partner with a world class company like JSW Steel whose leadership journey, innovative products and future-ready capabilities I have always admired.”
JSW Steel director (commercial marketing and corporate strategy) Jayant Acharya adds, “We welcome Rishabh Pant to JSW Steel as our partner in growth. We believe that our association with Rishabh will help create greater awareness for our products as well as differentiate the high quality product portfolio of JSW Steel. Our new marketing campaign with Rishabh Pant intends to further strengthen the recall of our branded steel products among our business customers as well as end use consumers.”
JSW Steel is planning an integrated marketing campaign for JSW Colouron+ & JSW Neosteel featuring Rishabh Pant, expected to Go-live by mid-February 2020. The marketing campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather and showcases product attributes whilst also featuring Rishabh Pant in an interesting and engaging way.
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.
