MAM
MTV Asia Pacific head Frank Brown calls it quits
MUMBAI: MTV has announced that after a long tenure of 18 years with the company, Frank Brown has decided to leave his post as MTV Asia Pacific president.
Brown will relocate to Australia and join his familys business, the International investment and consultancy company, The Laura Group. Brown will remain at MTV Networks in Singapore through a transition period until the end of the year. The broadcaster has not announced his replacement. It has to also announce a head for India following Alex Kuruvilla’s resignation in June 2005.
Brown took on the role of president for the Asia Pacific region a couple of years ago. MTV Networks vice chairman Bill Roedy said, Frank has been a leading force in building our International businesses since joining the launch team in Europe 18 years ago when we set up our International operations. In Europe, he drove the creation of a pan-regional advertising market, enabling MTV Networks Europe to consistently exceed business plan.
“Since he moved to Singapore to create MTV Networks Asia Pacific in 1994, he has launched 20 MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon channels and has forged important partnerships for the company across the Asia-Pacific region. With his creativity, passion and vision in driving our Asian expansion strategies, he has built a vibrant Asian business that will be a growth engine for MTV Networks for years to come. Frank has been a trusted, invaluable colleague and friend through the years, and I wish him and his family much happiness and success in Australia.
Brown said, I feel extremely privileged to have had such a wonderful experience with MTVN Asia Pacific, one of the most amazing companies in one of the most amazing industries anywhere in the world. I have also loved being part of helping to build the companys network of channels around the world. After seven fantastic years in Europe and 11 in Asia Pacific, I will be leaving the company at the end of this year to focus on family priorities in Australia.
“Our businesses are now in an excellent position for continuous further growth and success, thanks to the efforts of an incredible group of creative, talented, passionate and committed people. I have no doubt that the increasing momentum of MTV Networks Asia Pacific will continue to roll on and rock youth culture more than ever around the region.
Brown joined MTV back in 1987 to set up MTVs ad sales and marketing operations across Europe. He also led the launch of VH1 UK before relocating to Singapore in 1994 to establish MTV Networks Asia Pacific. In the past 11 years, Brown has led the launch of 20 MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon channels across the Asia Pacific region, creating the companys most widely distributed regional portfolio of brands, which reach over 200 million TV households in 26 territories in the region.
Brown was also responsible for setting up the companys digital media and consumer products businesses across the region, and negotiated many successful joint ventures for the company in markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Philippines and Australia.
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.
