MAM
Vitamin Stree latest campaign breaks down the opportunity gap to educate the Indian economy
MUMBAI: Women have long been unable to progress economically, in the way and scale that their male counterparts have. India’s female workforce participation has sharply declined (19.6 million left the workforce) in the time (between 2006-2012) that the economy itself has grown substantially. This has allowed for at least 70% of overall household income in India to go to men. And it makes no fiscal sense either, to leave women out. Women can add up to 700 billion USDs if opportunities for both genders are made equal. So Vitamin Stree, decided to look into it and explore why this economic gender gap exists – and credit went to an ‘opportunities gap’ that has existed for decades, if not centuries now.
The opportunity gap has five key components; birth rate, education, workforce participation, safety and financial security. Vitamin Stree’s latest scratching the Surface video breaks down the opportunities gap with the aim to educate and inform viewers of what constitutes the gap, why it exists, and how eradicating the gap would affect the Indian economy. That gender disparity is deep-rooted in our society is nothing new, what is alarming is the rate at which we are trying to bridge this gap. The World Economic Forum recently said that it would take us 202 years to bridge the gap at the rate we are going. That’s a long time. And if we need to hasten the process, which we do, a good place to start is at the beginning.
Padmini Vaidyanathan, Head, Vitamin Stree: " Women need a new working reality, and for the workplace to be equal for everyone, the ground work needs to start at the time a girl is born. There is no magical, overnight solution to this, and with this video, we want to show gender gap, currently, only widens at every step of a girl’s life. We believe this can and will change, as long as we keep reminding ourselves, where all women are discriminated against, and actively work to resolve that.
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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.
