Key takeaways
- YouTube appoints Gunjan Soni as Country Managing Director for India, effective April 28, 2025.
- Soni aims to enhance video commerce and deepen engagement across diverse user groups in India.
- Bringing 20 years of experience, Soni previously led ZALORA and held key roles at Star India and Myntra.
- YouTube emphasizes commitment to empowering creators and contributing to India's digital growth under Soni's leadership.
- Soni will be based in Mumbai, focusing on strategic growth initiatives in a key global market.
YouTube has appointed Gunjan Soni as the country managing director for India, effective April 28, 2025. Soni succeeds Ishan Chatterjee, who left the company in 2024 to join JioCinema as chief revenue officer.
Soni brings over 20 years of leadership experience across business, technology, marketing, and e-commerce. Before joining YouTube, she served as Group CEO at ZALORA in Singapore for six years. Her previous roles include executive vice president at Star India, chief marketing officer at Myntra, and partner at McKinsey & Company in the consumer and marketing practice.
“Gunjan brings over two decades of experience as a dynamic leader in business, tech, and marketing, and her arrival underscores our stronger-than-ever commitment to empowering creators, connecting users, and contributing to India's digital growth,” said Gautam Anand, vice president of YouTube APAC.
Soni will be based in Mumbai and is expected to lead YouTube’s growth and strategic initiatives in one of its largest global markets.
Soni expressed her commitment to supporting creators and enhancing the platform’s role in connecting communities across India. She highlighted her intention to expand opportunities in video commerce, Shorts, and deepen YouTube’s engagement across different user groups.
“I'm super excited about building on this foundation, fostering innovation, and further enhancing the platform's role in helping creators unlock new storytelling opportunities and reach billions of audiences globally,” she said in a LinkedIn post.
“There’s so much potential to unlock - evolving how creators connect with their audiences, video commerce and shopping, Shorts, Connected TV and helping viewers engage with content, creators and brands they love. I'm excited to explore innovative formats and video commerce in ways that feel intuitive and natural,” she added.
Soni holds a Computer Science degree from Barkatullah University and an MBA in Finance from XLRI Jamshedpur. She also serves on the board of CBRE Group, a Fortune 500 company.
