MAM
#MediaMinds2 | We prepared last year for the world going completely digital: IBM’s Deepali Naair
NEW DELHI: While the world is still struggling to understand how to take their day-to-day activities online, IBM India was already one step ahead as it enjoys the success of a number of online events, simply by the virtue of being better prepared to handle a complete digital takeover of the world. The company’s CMO for the country and South Asia Deepali Naair shares her thoughts in this latest episode of Indiantelevision.com’s Media Minds season 2.
“Last year in October, when we didn’t even know that Covid2019 was going to happen, my team sat down and said that the world is going completely digital. We, of course, thought that it would take some time for that to happen but we discussed how to prepare ourselves for that moment. What do we need to learn; what do we need to do; what do we need to experiment with! And in February, even before the lockdown, we did a 100 per cent virtual event which was attended by 3500 people.”
She said that their vision and quick actions helped them create properties and a culture that other CMOs also took inspiration from.
Naair also talked extensively about her journey in the industry and the shift between different roles she has taken up in her career spanning over more than two decades. She attributes the success and popularity to her attitude of being a lifelong learner.
“I am a lifelong learner. I approach everything saying let me learn. Let me learn the medium of a podcast, let me learn the medium of digital, which is how I moved to digital and e-commerce much sooner than some of my contemporaries. So that attitude has helped me again that I moved to technology.”
She also shared tips for CXOs who want to get into the personal branding space, stating that having one’s own brand helps even the organisation that one is working for. “I think if you have a large CXO brand you are also available to everybody to reach out to, for them to take an authentic point of view from you.”
Watch the complete discussion here:
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.
