Brands
L’Oréal Professionnel forays into the metaverse
Mumbai: L’Oréal Professionnel, the leading brand in professional hair tech, has forayed into the Metaverse, embracing cutting-edge technology and elevating self-expression in the realm of hair beauty. As pioneers in the field of hair tech, L’Oréal Professionnel recognizes the immense potential of the Metaverse and is committed to revolutionizing the industry by offering more inclusive, diverse, and creative hair looks for virtual identities. Having successfully launched and implemented the metaverse across the globe, the brand has now brought its latest innovation to India.
According to a research by Grand View Research, Inc., the global metaverse market is all set to grow at a CAGR of 41.6 per cent which will lead the market to amount to an estimate of US$ 936.6 billion by 2030. For India, Arthur D. Little, the strategy and management consulting company, India’s Metaverse market is projected to reach $200 billion by 2035. Metaverse resonates with current trends in self-expression and digitalization. It provides an immersive space for users to create digital identities, experiment with avatars, styles, and experiences, reflecting their real-world personas. As digitalization blurs physical and virtual boundaries, the metaverse enables global access to products, services, and social interactions, enhancing connectivity.
L’Oréal Professionnel’s important pillar for this year’s Metaverse initiative includes – More Hair Looks with Hair Drops for Multiple Platforms. The brand aims to provide an extensive collection of diverse and playful hair looks, ensuring that users can find the perfect style for their virtual identities. The brand has premiered five hair looks in collaboration with a CGI artist, Evan Rochette on the world’s biggest cross-game avatar platform Ready Player Me. Additionally, these hair drops will be available on Robox and Zepeto. The brand has dropped 16 playful and avante garde looks on several platforms like Ready Player Me, Roblox and Zepeto.
Sharing her thoughts, L’Oréal Professionnel India general manager Mathilde Barthelemy-Vigier said, “We are the first professional hair tech brand to enter the Metaverse end of last year. The brand’s vision of ‘Professional hair tech that elevates you’ has been the driving force behind this momentous journey into the Metaverse. We’re now accelerating, leveraging the avatar as an entry point. In the rapidly evolving Metaverse, avatars have become an artistic canvas for self-expression. As users immerse themselves in this digital realm, their avatars become a reflection of their personality, style, and identity, with hair being a prominent feature to craft their unique virtual persona. L’Oréal Professionnel stimulates this connection, offering experiences through diverse and inclusive hair looks that empower users to authentically express themselves in this limitless virtual world. Indeed, research shows that within 5 to 10 years, people will have up to 10 avatars as virtual identities that represent them.”
L’Oréal Professionnel’s metaverse entry extends its brand equity, showcasing innovation in hair beauty. A globally recognized pioneer in beauty, the brand adapts to evolving trends by embracing the metaverse, leveraging its reputation and demonstrating agility in meeting consumer preferences and technology. The metaverse’s focus on self-expression and digital engagement aligns seamlessly with L’Oréal Professionnel’s values. Empowering unique styles through hair has been central to the brand, now extended to the metaverse. With virtual tools and experiences, L’Oréal Professionnel’s creativity flourishes, enabling authentic expression. This reinforces the brand’s equity as a beauty trailblazer, adept at foreseeing trends and creatively engaging consumers.
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.
