YouTube names Gunjan Soni as country managing director for India

YouTube has announced the appointment of Gunjan Soni as the country managing director for India. Soni is set to lead YouTube's growth and innovation efforts in India and replaces Ishan Chatterjee, who joined JioCinema in October 2024. She has over two decades of leadership experience, spanning business, technology, marketing and e-commerce.

Soni was previously working at ZALORA, where she served as Group CEO for six years based in Singapore. During her tenure, she was instrumental in introducing new categories and business models, fostering innovation, and enhancing user experience.

Soni also possesses significant Indian media and marketing experience, having worked as EVP at Star India and CMO at Myntra. Prior to that, she was a partner at McKinsey in the Consumer and Marketing practice, where she initially began her career. She serves on the board of CBRE Group, a Fortune 500 company.

Announcing the appointment, Gautam Anand, Vice President of YouTube APAC, said the platform is excited to bring Soni on board, citing her deep understanding of the creator economy and India’s digital landscape as crucial assets for YouTube’s next phase of growth.

Soni holds a Computer Science degree from Barkatullah University and an MBA in Finance from XLRI Jamshedpur. Reflecting on her appointment, she said she is eager to work with creators across India, help expand opportunities in video commerce and Shorts, and further grow YouTube’s engagement across generations.