Meet Gunjan Soni: Former Zalora Group CEO to lead YouTube India operations

YouTube on Monday announced the appointment of Gunjan Soni as the Country Managing Director for India, as the video-sharing platform looks to further strengthen its growth and innovation efforts in one of its largest markets.

Soni, a seasoned business leader with over two decades of experience across business, technology, marketing, and e-commerce, takes over the role following the departure of Ishan Chatterjee, who exited last year to join JioStar.

Prior to her new role, Soni served as the Group CEO at ZALORA, a leading online fashion retailer in Southeast Asia, for six years. Based out of Singapore, she spearheaded the company’s expansion into new categories and business models, drove innovation, and enhanced user experience through personalisation and a successful loyalty programme, the Alphabet-owned video platform said in a release.

"YouTube's journey in India continues to be vibrant and dynamic, representing a country filled with immense creative energy and potential," said Gautam Anand, Vice President, YouTube APAC.

"Gunjan’s deep understanding of the creator economy and India's video commerce landscape, combined with her leadership, will enable us to accelerate creator growth, unlock new opportunities, engage users, and contribute meaningfully to India's digital journey," he added.

Before ZALORA, Soni held leadership roles in major Indian companies, including serving as Executive Vice President at Star India, where she led several new initiatives in digital content and sports, playing a pivotal role in the launch of video streaming platform Hotstar in 2015. She was also the Chief Marketing Officer at Myntra, and earlier, a Partner at global consulting major McKinsey & Company in its Consumer and Marketing practice.

Soni, who also serves on the board of Fortune 500 real estate giant CBRE Group, said the way YouTube empowers creators and connects communities across India is “truly inspiring.”

"I am both humbled and thrilled to join this dynamic team and lead a platform that has long supported the powerhouse of talent that is the Indian creator economy."

With this appointment, Soni joins a growing list of women leaders heading global Big Tech operations in India. Preeti Lobana was appointed as Google India's Country Manager and Vice President in December 2024, while Sandhya Devanathan currently leads Meta's India business as Vice President.