MAM
New India Abroad Names Bhabani Das as Chief Business Officer
Bhabani Das to steer global ad sales and IP for 32 million Indians.
MUMBAI: For a platform built on crossing borders, New India Abroad has just made a move designed to cross balance sheets too. New India Abroad, the global media network focused on the 32 million strong Indian diaspora, has appointed Bhabani Prasad Das as its chief business officer, tasking him with accelerating revenue growth and sharpening its digital and branded content strategy across markets.
With nearly two decades of experience in media sales and brand strategy, Das steps into the role at a time when the platform is scaling its presence across North America, Europe and the Middle East. His mandate spans global ad sales across digital, Connected TV and branded content, along with leading strategic alliances and intellectual property development.
The leadership team at New India Abroad described the appointment as a strategic inflection point. They said Das’s experience in scaling media properties and navigating the digital ecosystem would be central to connecting global brands with what they describe as a diverse and affluent diaspora audience.
Das joins after serving as national head of digital branded content and IP at Republic Media Network, where he drove 120 per cent revenue growth. During his tenure, he introduced initiatives such as the R Digital Round Table and several national summits, positioning branded content and intellectual property as revenue engines rather than adjuncts.
His career also includes senior roles across Republic Media Network, ABP Digital and Times Internet Limited, giving him a cross section view of India’s evolving digital and broadcast ecosystem.
At New India Abroad, he will focus on monetising the platform’s multi format footprint, which includes a weekly digital newspaper, daily newsletters and a growing catalogue of video and podcast content in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati. The aim is to create a more structured commercial framework around a community that spans continents and industries.
Speaking on his appointment, Das said he saw the diaspora as a defining force rather than a peripheral audience. He noted that overseas Indians are no longer just contributors from afar but decision makers shaping economic and cultural narratives globally. His stated goal is to build what he called a world class business framework that reflects that influence and offers brands a trusted, high engagement bridge to this community.
As diaspora media matures from niche storytelling to structured commercial platforms, New India Abroad’s latest appointment signals a clear intent: tell the story, yes, but also own the business of telling it.
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.
