MAM
Kritika Saxena elevated to head of marketing at TCS India
MUMBAI: Five years ago, Kritika Saxena swapped the television studio for the corporate boardroom. Today, she’s got the promotion that proves it was the right call.
Saxena has been elevated to head of marketing for India at Tata Consultancy Services, stepping up from her role leading corporate communications and public relations at the IT giant. It’s the kind of career move that validates a gamble many wouldn’t dare take.
“I have often been asked if it was worth it,” Saxena shared on LinkedIn, reflecting on her 2020 switch from journalism to corporate life. “After 5 years, I have so many moments, even daily, that I can find myself saying a whole hearted yes to that question.”
In her new role, Saxena will oversee all marketing efforts across India, working to amplify TCS’s brand presence throughout the region. She’ll also helm the company’s flagship experience centre in Mumbai, a showcase space that tells the TCS story to stakeholders and visitors from around the world. Additionally, she’ll head marketing for the Public Services India and Rest of World business vertical.
The promotion comes after a successful five-year stint building TCS’s communications profile. But Saxena’s path to this moment began much earlier, in the fast-paced world of broadcast journalism.
She spent over 12 years at CNBC-TV18, rising through the ranks from senior correspondent in 2008 to chief of bureau for Mumbai and South India by 2020. During that tenure, she broke stories, anchored interviews, analysed markets, and contributed to numerous flagship shows. Before that, she cut her teeth at BBC Worldwide, The Times of India, and various other media outlets.
The transition from newsroom to corporate suite isn’t always smooth, but Saxena found a common thread. “One lesson stands out for me that is common for marketing, communications and journalism: good storytelling is at the heart of everything,” she noted.
That philosophy clearly resonated. Last year, she played a key role in launching TCS’s ‘Accelerating India’ campaign, an initiative close to her heart that she’s thrilled to continue steering in her expanded role.
Saxena was quick to credit TCS’s culture of internal growth. “I’m forever amazed at how TCS encourages growth for everyone and gives the space for career elevation and expansion in its own vast boundaries,” she said, thanking colleagues Abhinav Kumar and Girish Ramachandran for the opportunity.
It’s a reminder that career pivots, however daunting, can lead somewhere special. For Saxena, the journalist who once reported on corporate India now shapes how one of its biggest names tells its own story. Not a bad plot twist at all.
Her journey proves what many suspect but few dare test: sometimes the best stories aren’t the ones you cover, but the ones you live.
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.
