MAM
Usha International announces a new sewing machine campaign with actor Keerthy Suresh
MUMBAI: Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables companies, has launched a new media campaign for Usha sewing machines featuring the brand ambassador and National Film Award winner 2018 Keerthy Suresh.
Aimed at amplifying consumer connect and engagement within the southern region, the 50 second television commercial has been launched in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In the TV commercial southern star Keerthy is featured as a blushing bride, who enters her new home and is welcomed with the familiar and warm embrace of an Usha sewing machine gifted to her by her in-laws. It captures the bond between a daughter-in-law and her in-laws beautifully. A separate 10 sec promo commercial will also be aired to announce the promotional offer of free Sewing Kit worth Rs. 500/- with every Usha Janome sewing machine.
Commenting on the new campaign, Parveen Sahni, Business Head, Usha Sewing Machines, said, “The TV commercial is an effort to engage with southern markets for maximum reach and impact. With this campaign we are looking to connect with the consumer and bring to life the joy that comes with unleashing one’s creativity using a sewing machine. We hope to increase our brand salience as well as connect with consumers and sewing enthusiasts within these markets.”
The new TV commercial will be aired on a mix of top vernacular general entertainment and news channels in an 8-week campaign starting 21st March onwards and will be complemented by an exciting print plan featuring Keerthy across top women and vernacular magazines with high readership in the region. The TV ads will also be aggressively promoted across all relevant vernacular digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and OTT’s like Hotstar, Zee5 etc.
The TV commercial can be viewed here: (https://youtu.be/LUIQiuDadKQ)
TV commercial credits
Agency: Goldilocks
Production house: Old School Films
Director: Gautham Menon
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.
