MAM
Toaster elevates Ira G & Bhawika Chhabra to CCO & MD, respectively
Mumbai: Toaster, the London-based digital-first full-service creative agency, has announced a significant elevation of its senior leadership in India with Ira G being promoted to chief creative officer (CCO) and Bhawika Chhabra to managing director (MD), effective immediately.
The India operations of Toaster has witnessed noticeable growth in the past 3 years on the back of delivering award-winning work for Google India and onboarding new clients such as Myntra, Bumble, OYO, Nykaa, and a few more to its roster. The agency has bagged awards like Kyoorius, MMA Smarties (APAC & India), Campaign India DigiCrest Awards, ET Brand Equity DG+, e4m IMA Awards and many more for its campaign work for Google India.
Ira has written dialogues for Netflix’s Class and Feels Like Ishq and has featured as a jury for YouTube Works Awards & Campaign India Film Crest Awards this year. Chhabra, who helped set up Toaster in India eight years ago, has donned multiple hats from managing new businesses agenda to spearheading large scale campaigns, and growing the company into its new avatar today.
Toaster co-founder & CEO Tom Dunn said, “Bhawika & Ira have built a formidable partnership and have played instrumental roles in shaping the agency in India, setting a standard as a high performing, multi-award winning team. We’re proud to announce this double promotion and look forward to exciting times for Toaster in the region – building on the highest standards of creativity, continuing to deliver innovative and meaningful work to our clients, and fostering a workplace that people thrive in.”
Commenting on the announcement, Ira said, “I’m elated with this news. Our endeavour has been to foster an idea-first creative culture within Toaster and I feel that over the last 3 years we’ve successfully transitioned from handling pure digital mandates to now managing full-scale integrated creative campaigns. For the next phase of our growth, we’re keen to induct new & diverse talent and continue to build on the culture we’ve developed that we’re quite proud of.”
Chhabra added, “I’m quite proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve got a great momentum going and our plan is to further strengthen client partnerships, acquire new businesses, and deliver higher profitability – all this while delivering the best creative work for our clients. A shout out to our client partners at Google India for their trust in us – who are an important chapter of our growth story.”
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.
