Brands
LeEco bags the Most Promising Smartphone Brand Award by TeleAnalysis
MUMBAI: In less than three months LeEco formally entered into India, the company crossed another milestone in its journey to become top three mobile players in the market. LeEco bagged the “Most Promising Smartphone Brand” award in the TeleAnalysis Customer Satisfaction Survey on 17 March in New Delhi, India.
The award was based on an extensive nationwide survey conducted by TeleAnalysis in the last three months. Sample size was around 12,000 with 3,000 consumers from each zone -east, west, north and south.
The results of the survey proved that consumers appreciated LeEco’s brand as well as its products. And the award is a testimony of the consumers’ faith in LeEco’s products.
This is not just another feather in LeEco’s cap as the company has not only managed to pip ahead of other established brands in this cluttering market, but also been able to generate a loyal and a reasonably large clientele base within a short span of time. The brand recognition is a no mean feat considering that the mobile phone maker entered the Indian market only a couple of months ago.
The “Most Promising Smartphone Brand” award was given to LeEco by Anupam Shrivastava, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL at the TeleAnalysis Device World 2016 conference held at New Delhi on March 17.
Around 250 people from Telecom industry including high-profile speakers from various smartphone and telecom companies like Samsung, Reliance Jio, Motorola, Micromax, huawei, and Intex as well as from government agencies participated in the TeleAnalysis Device World 2016.
LeEco had recently offered an exchange offer for 2 days on E-commerce site, Flipkart, for buyers to grab on the exciting offers. Of late, LeEco days on E-commerce portal, Flipkart have become blockbusters in the mobile phone industry.
LeEco has launched two phones in India – Le 1s and Le Max. Within only February, LeEco had sold more than 200,000 Le 1s, the flagship killer device in India, making several industry records concerning flash sale quantity and time.
The company is planning to embed different types of contents to its Superphones and offer it to the phone buyers on a platter. This initial “Device+Content” strategy adopted by LeEco in the world’s second largest smartphone market has already garnered rave reviews starting from bloggers and gadgets freaks to common buyers.
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.
