MAM
PumPumPum appoints Nikhil Sharma as AVP – growth & marketing
MUMBAI: Homegrown used car corporate leasing and subscription company, PumPumPum announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Nikhil Sharma as the assistant vice president of growth and marketing. In his new role, Sharma will be responsible for scaling up and executing PumPumPum’s integrated marketing strategies and driving the company’s corporate reputation forward with a focus on 360-degree branding efforts.
Sharma is a marketing professional with over 14 years of experience working with some of the challenging brands in the country. He founded two different start-ups, one a digital marketing agency, A Cup of Tea, and the other, an FMCG brand, Golden Nectar, where he was in charge of marketing and growth. Prior to that, Sharma was also associated with AVIS India, leading India’s marketing team.
Welcoming him aboard, PumPumPum CEO & founder Tarun Lawadia, and co-founder & CGO Sameer Kalra said, “We are excited to welcome Nikhil to the leadership team. His experience across industries is a strength we can leverage as a subscription to a used car is a nascent concept in India, and we need an experienced and creative mind to tap that segment of consumer buying habit. Given the growth in the car leasing niche market, Nikhil’s experience in the mobility industry along with his innovative marketing and growth strategies will be invaluable in helping us achieve our goal of becoming India’s largest car leasing company.”
Nikhil Sharma said, “PumPumPum is based on a unique business model that has the potential to disrupt the current used-car ecosystem. I admire the company and its leadership for its dynamic work culture, founding values, and strong footprint in the market. I am stoked to be part of the team to contribute to its next milestones to disrupt the car leasing market.”
The company plans to reach over 15 cities in the span of the next three years to leverage the post-pandemic demand for personal transportation over public transportation.
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.
