Brands
Lloyd D’souza returns to Lava International as chief business officer
MUMBAI: Lloyd D’souza has rejoined Lava International Ltd as chief business officer for enterprise business, marking his return to the Indian smartphone manufacturer after a five-year absence.
The appointment comes as D’souza brings a wealth of government and public sector experience to Lava’s enterprise division. His remit will focus on advancing business across government, corporate customers and public sector undertaking verticals from the company’s Noida headquarters.
D’souza previously served as head of enterprise business at Lava between March 2018 and October 2020, where he oversaw enterprise sales, international operations, government sales and electronics manufacturing services. His departure coincided with a broader reshuffling in India’s competitive smartphone market.
Since leaving Lava, D’souza spent over three years as director at Laqshanya Solutions Pvt Ltd, where he specialised in identifying government and public sector clients, coordinating customer relations and managing tender processes. He also held a senior vice president role at Square Panda Inc between October 2020 and February 2022.
The executive’s career spans over two decades in business development and experiential marketing. He spent 13 years as director of Maverick Marketing, a full-spectrum experiential marketing agency, before transitioning to the mobile technology sector with Karbonn Mobiles in 2015 as executive director.
At Karbonn, D’souza managed e-commerce, international sales and institutional sales operations during the height of India’s smartphone boom. His expertise in government affairs, crisis management and competitive tendering has made him a sought-after figure in India’s technology sector.
Lava International, founded in 2009, has been working to reclaim market share in India’s increasingly crowded smartphone market, dominated by Chinese brands and global players. The company’s focus on government and enterprise customers represents a strategic pivot towards higher-margin business segments.
D’souza’s return signals Lava’s renewed push into enterprise and government markets, sectors where his established relationships and tender management expertise could prove valuable for the homegrown brand.
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.
