MAM
Mahesh Kanchan takes charge as FieldFresh Foods CEO
Mumbai: FieldFresh Foods, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises & Del Monte Pacific Ltd, on Monday announced the elevation of Mahesh Kanchan to the role of chief executive officer (CEO), with effect from 1 October.
In his new role, Kanchan will be focusing on further strengthening the Del Monte brand, the product portfolio, and the distribution network to cater to the emerging needs of the consumer, said the company in a statement.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to congratulate Mahesh on his elevation and wish him the very best for his new role. I am confident that under his leadership FieldFresh Foods will prosper into a leading next-generation consumer products company,” said Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman and FieldFresh Foods chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal.
Kanchan, who previously served as chief commercial officer with FieldFresh Foods, takes over from Yogesh Bellani who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the company.
“I would like to thank Yogesh for his exceptional leadership over the past one decade and for building a strong foundation for the next phase of our growth journey. Most importantly, under his leadership, Del Monte has become a household name in India,” Mittal further said.
Kanchan, who has over two decades of experience in the FMCG space, joined FieldFresh Foods in 2020. He has played a pivotal role in creating growth opportunities for the Del Monte brand in the B2C segment as well as navigating the business during the pandemic.
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.
