Mumbai: NODWIN Gaming, a leader in new-age youth entertainment, gaming, and esports, has announced the appointment of Sonal Varma as Global Director – Live Events, strengthening the company’s leadership as it continues to expand its global portfolio of immersive gaming, esports, and pop culture experiences. With over a decade and a half of experience building some of India’s most beloved fan communities and large-scale live properties such as Comic Con India, Geekly, Indian Cosplay Championship,etc., Sonal steps into the role at a time when NODWIN is accelerating its presence across emerging gaming markets worldwide.
In her new role, Sonal will lead the strategy, design, and execution of new initiatives across NODWIN Gaming’s global live event ecosystem, working across flagship intellectual properties and new formats that bring gaming communities together. Her focus will include scaling experiences across emerging markets while deepening the cultural relevance of NODWIN’s events for diverse audiences.
Sonal brings with her more than 15 years of experience shaping fan-first events and community-led cultural platforms. During her tenure at Comic Con India, where she most recently served as Vice President, she played a pivotal role in growing the event into one of the country’s most prominent pop culture platforms, driving multi-city expansion, strategic brand alliances, and high-impact collaborations with global studios and leading consumer brands. Her leadership spanned event strategy, sponsorships, international talent programming, and large-scale fan engagement initiatives, helping build a thriving ecosystem that connects fans, creators, and brands.
Her appointment comes as NODWIN Gaming continues to strengthen its global events footprint through marquee IPs including DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India, Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGMS), and a growing portfolio of esports and gaming festivals across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company has steadily expanded its reach in emerging gaming markets, bringing large-scale competitive tournaments, fan conventions, and community-driven experiences to audiences that are shaping the next chapter of global gaming culture.
Speaking about the appointment, Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming, said, “Sonal brings a deep understanding of how live experiences can bring communities together around gaming and pop culture. Over the years, she has helped build events that fans truly care about, and as we continue to expand our global live events footprint, her experience will be invaluable in creating experiences that feel authentic and meaningful for audiences across markets.”
Commenting on her new role, Sonal Varma, Global Director – Live Events, NODWIN Gaming, said, “Joining NODWIN Gaming at this moment feels incredibly exciting because the canvas is so large. There are new audiences, new markets, and new formats waiting to be explored. I’m looking forward to working with the teams across the network to create live experiences that celebrate gaming culture while staying rooted in the communities that make it so powerful.”
Over the past few years, NODWIN Gaming has steadily grown into one of the world’s leading gaming and esports companies, building an ecosystem that spans competitive gaming, fan festivals, creator communities, and youth culture platforms. Through its global IPs and strategic partnerships, the company continues to invest in emerging markets where gaming communities are expanding rapidly, bringing world-class experiences to millions of fans while nurturing local talent, creators, and grassroots communities.
With Sonal Varma joining the leadership team to steer global live events, NODWIN Gaming aims to further scale its flagship properties and introduce new formats that celebrate the intersection of gaming, esports, entertainment, and fandom across international markets.
