MAM
QYOU Media appoints Raj Mishra as India Group CEO
Mumbai: QYOU Media Inc., operating in India and the United States has announced the appointment of digital leader and strategist, Raj Mishra, as Group CEO of QYOU Media’s India operations overseeing all business units, with immediate effect. Mishra will focus on increasing operational and financial synergies and strengths among the three primary business units as the company further pivots in India into digital distribution and direct-to-consumer initiatives.
Raj Mishra was appointed to QYOU’s board of directors on 30 May 2023 and brings a strong track record of driving business growth and profitability in the mobile, media, and entertainment sectors. With over 13 years of experience and a background that includes senior management roles in building some of the most successful app businesses in Indian market history, Mishra specializes in go-to-market strategies, sales, marketing, business growth, and profit and loss management in India’s evolving social media landscape.
Mishra’s career highlights include his instrumental role as the first employee at Musical.ly in India (now TikTok), leading it to over 60 million monthly active users. As the country head for both Musical.ly and later for TikTok following their acquisition, he fostered growth for ByteDance in India, established local teams, cultivated business partnerships, and nurtured the creator community. Under his leadership, Musical.ly became the most downloaded app on Android and iOS app stores. He subsequently oversaw the rebranding transition from Musical.ly to TikTok after its acquisition in 2017 wherein it became quickly established among the most downloaded apps in India with 610 million downloads in India alone in less than three years representing over a quarter of all global downloads. In 2019, he took on a new challenge within ByteDance where he was spearheading strategy for their newly launched suite of products, including the app Helo while closely working with the core global teams at ByteDance to help further strengthen their overall go-to-market strategy. Following that experience, Mishra joined Triller as the country GM and India head, laying the foundation for its expansion in India and the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently, Mishra was consulting for a number of digital and gaming companies including QYOU’s India business units, where he provides strategic and revenue generation strategies and tactics for growth.
QYOU Media CEO and co-founder, Curt Marvis commented, “We are thrilled to have Raj on board to direct the next phase of growth for our businesses in India. Working with him as a consultant to QYOU India over the last several months, it became clear to me and the Board that his skill set and experience were directly applicable to our overall business objective to become a larger brand with more direct to consumer initiatives in India. This includes our most recent launch of the new freemium version of Q GamesMela. In addition, Raj’s understanding and knowledge of how the creator economy works, as a result of his roles at both Musical.ly and TikTok are invaluable for us as we build a creator-centric brand and business. His appointment to oversee our entire operation in India launches a very exciting new chapter in our history.”
Speaking on the appointment, Raj Mishra added, “I joined the board of QYOU Media because I was excited about the size and scope of the opportunity for which they have already built the foundation. In working directly with the business since that time, I now know that the potential is even greater than I had first realized. There is a tremendous amount of hard work, coordination and execution ahead and we have only scratched the surface of what is possible for QYOU. I have shared with Curt and the Board my thoughts on how I see the business unfolding and expanding in the coming years. I can’t wait to get deeper into working with the executive management and employees at all the business units and to help QYOU raise the India business to a level of success we all know is possible.”
QYOU Media business units in India include QYOU Media India which includes the broadcast and CTV channels, the influencer marketing business Chtrbox Technologies and Maxamtech Digital Ventures’ gaming business.
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.
