MAM
PepsiCo takes Parle Agro to court over ‘For the Bold’ tagline
Mumbai: PepsiCo India has filed a trademark violation case against Mumbai-based beverages major Parle Agro over the use of the tagline- ‘For The Bold’ by the latter for the beverage B Fizz launched last year.
The US beverage and packaged food company moved the Delhi high court earlier this month claiming a trademark infringement with the multinational, arguing in its petition that ‘For The Bold’ was a registered trademark of its Doritos chips brand globally, which Parle Agro used for its ‘B-Fizz’ beverage.
PepsiCo pleaded with the court to restrain the Mumbai-based beverages company from “infringement, passing-off, dilution, and unfair trade competition”. The court directed Parle Agro to file a written response in a month while fixing the next date of hearing on 16 July.
PepsiCo India has also sought Rs two crore in damages and a permanent injunction against the Frooti & Appy Fizz brands from using the cited tagline, alleging it would result in a “violation of the statutory and exclusive proprietary rights of the PepsiCo”. It has also sought an order for delivery of “destruction of all products including bottles, cans, packing material, stationery, carry bags, price stickers, visiting cards, billboards, brochures, promotional material, point of sale material, letterheads, cash memos, signboards, signposts, leaflets, cartons or any other items of whatsoever description and nature, bearing the expression/ tagline ‘For The Bold’”.
The maker of Frooti & Appy Fizz had launched the malt-based B-Fizz carbonated soft drink last October, in a fresh attempt to grab a larger market share in the fizzy beverages category. The fizzy drink is being promoted by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jr NTR in South Indian markets. Cans and bottles of the beverage come with taglines “Be the Fizz! For the Bold!” and “Positioned as a drink for the Bold, B-Fizz presents a unique, bold, and invigorating taste profile,” the company had stated at the time.
On the other hand, the New York-based giant has used “For The Bold’ as a tagline for its tortilla chips brand Doritos since 2013. According to PepsiCo, Doritos is a $1-billion-plus flagship brand that is one of the fastest-growing snack brands in the snacks and beverage major’s portfolio. In 2017, the company announced that it is producing Doritos in India at its snacks manufacturing facility in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, both the parties involved declined to comment on the matter saying the case was sub judice.
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.
