Soni has had successful stints at ZALORA, Star India and Myntra. She steps into her new role, following the exit of Ishan Chatterjee last year.

With over two decades of leadership experience spanning business, technology, marketing, and e-commerce, Soni is set to lead YouTube's growth and innovation efforts in India, the Alphabet-owned video platform said in a release.

Soni joins YouTube from 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 through personalisation and a successful loyalty program.

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. She serves on the board of CBRE Group, a Fortune 500 company.

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

Soni 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,” she said.