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Working it out how jobs can help healing, says new cancer research
MUMBAI: Turns out, the daily grind can sometimes help the body heal. Fresh research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic is giving renewed weight to a simple but powerful idea: the right kind of work environment can make a measurable difference to life after a cancer diagnosis. Building on these findings, Publicis Groupe has announced the latest evolution of Working With Cancer, its global programme aimed at helping employers create open, flexible and recovery-forward cultures for employees living with cancer.
Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos three years ago, Working With Cancer has since grown into a movement spanning more than 5,000 companies and covering over 40 million workers worldwide. What began as a voluntary pledge by employers is now reinforced by robust medical evidence highlighting the impact of sustained employment on health and wellbeing.
A new review led by Dr Victoria Blinder of Memorial Sloan Kettering and Dr Gina Mazza, Associate Professor of Biostatistics at Mayo Clinic, found a clear link between continued employment or a return to work after diagnosis and improved health-related quality of life. Crucially, the research points to workplace conditions such as flexibility, understanding and appropriate accommodations as factors that can shape these outcomes.
Among the findings: cancer survivors who remained employed reported around 28 per cent better overall quality of life five years on, with physical functioning nearly 29 per cent higher than those not working. In one study, employed participants were also 3.7 times less likely to report moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms and 2.4 times less likely to experience comparable levels of anxiety.
Turning evidence into action, Working With Cancer has now introduced an AI-powered coach designed to help employers apply these insights in real-world settings. Available to organisations that sign the pledge, the tool supports personalised guidance for employees, managers and HR teams, allowing companies to adapt benefits and workplace policies to individual needs while maintaining privacy and anonymity.
The AI system draws only from curated, expert-verified sources and company-uploaded policies, avoiding the risks of open internet health searches. Built with strict safeguards, it offers context-aware support without providing medical diagnoses, and retains no data beyond each session.
Alongside the technology rollout, Publicis Groupe is backing a global awareness campaign urging more employers to join the pledge. Created by Publicis Conseil and supported by up to $100 million in pro bono media, the campaign argues that employers are not bystanders in the cancer journey but can play a meaningful role in recovery and dignity.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker and stage IV cancer survivor Kailee McGee, the campaign film features survivors from companies including Walmart, L’Oréal, Pfizer, Barclays, Accenture and Carrefour, sharing how work helped them retain a sense of normalcy during treatment. The campaign will culminate in a Times Square out-of-home takeover on 4 February to mark World Cancer Day making the case that, handled right, work can be part of the cure, not the burden.
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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.
