Brands
Yatra, Mr DIY dangle travel prizes to turbocharge festive shopping
INDIA: Yatra Online has tied up with home-improvement retailer Mr DIY to launch Shop karo, yatra karo, a festive-season campaign that turns everyday shopping into a shot at subsidised holidays.
Running from December 2025 to January 2026, the two-month promotion spans more than 350 Mr DIY stores nationwide, targeting India’s busiest window for both retail spend and leisure travel. Shoppers are rewarded with Yatra travel vouchers and the chance to win domestic and international holiday packages.
Customers spending Rs 750 or more at 115 selected Mr DIY outlets in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Ahmedabad can unlock Yatra vouchers offering savings of up to Rs 10,000 on flights and hotels. Those spending Rs 1,000 or more across 350-plus stores nationally are eligible for a lucky draw for higher-value holiday packages.
Top prizes include an international in-land holiday package worth Rs 1,00,000, followed by two international packages worth Rs 75,000 each, and three domestic packages valued at Rs 30,000 apiece.
“The Christmas–New Year period is when shopping and travel decisions peak,” said Yatra Online senior vice-president, flights and hotels Bharatt Malik. “This partnership allows us to reward shoppers while extending Yatra’s presence beyond digital screens into high-impact physical retail spaces.”
A senior spokesperson for Mr DIY India said the collaboration was designed to add aspiration to routine purchases, blending affordability with the promise of travel during the festive and holiday season.
By linking retail baskets to travel dreams, the two brands are betting that a nudge at the checkout counter can translate into journeys well beyond the store aisle.
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.
