Brands
Siddhanta Srivastava joins Renault India as product marketing manager
Gurugram: Renault India has roped in Siddhanta Srivastava as product marketing manager, tasking him with one of its most high-stakes assignments yet—the comeback of the Duster, a name that once redefined the midsize SUV segment in India.
Srivastava joins Renault after a three-and-a-half-year stint at Kia India, where he handled product planning, operations and strategy for models including the Sonet, EV6 and EV9. His role spanned sales analysis, market intelligence and pricing strategy, ensuring competitiveness across four-wheeler segments in an increasingly crowded market.
At Kia, Srivastava was also deeply involved in electric vehicle strategy, working cross-functionally with R&D, design and finance teams to build viable EV business cases. He led cost simulations to unlock CAFE benefits and central and state government incentives, aligning product development with regulatory and commercial realities.
Earlier, at Honda Cars India, Srivastava worked in advanced product planning, representing the company on regulatory and standards panels such as BIS, AISC, SIAM and ICAT—giving him a ringside view of how policy, compliance and product strategy intersect.
His grounding in regulations was sharpened further at the International Centre for Automotive Technology, where he worked on homologation and regulatory frameworks as a senior engineer. Before that, he cut his teeth in engineering and installation roles, including a stint at TK Elevator, and led a Department of Science and Technology project that resulted in a patent for wireless power transmission.
At Renault India, Srivastava steps straight into launch mode. The new Duster is positioned as a cornerstone of the brand’s revival strategy, aimed at reclaiming relevance in a segment now dominated by aggressive new-age SUVs.
For Srivastava, the move marks both continuity and escalation—a return to hands-on product storytelling, backed by deep regulatory, technical and market insight.
For Renault, it is a calculated bet on execution.
As the Duster prepares to re-enter the spotlight, the message is clear: the icon is back—and this time, the groundwork runs deep.
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.
