NODWIN Gaming has announced the appointment of Sonal Varma as Global Director – Live Initiatives, strengthening the company’s leadership as it expands its global footprint in gaming and esports experiences.
With more than 15 years of experience in building fan-driven communities and large-scale cultural events such as Comic Con India, Geekly, and the Indian Cosplay Championship, Varma joins NODWIN at a time when the company is rapidly scaling its presence across emerging gaming markets around the world.
In her new position, Varma will oversee the strategy, development, and execution of initiatives within NODWIN Gaming’s global live events ecosystem. She will work across established intellectual properties as well as new formats aimed at bringing gaming communities together. Her responsibilities will also include expanding experiences into new markets while ensuring that NODWIN’s events remain culturally relevant and engaging for diverse audiences.
Varma brings deep expertise in designing community-led experiences and fan-first platforms. At Comic Con India, where she most recently served as Vice President, she played a key role in transforming the event into one of India’s leading pop culture platforms. Her contributions included driving multi-city expansion, building strategic partnerships with global studios and consumer brands, and curating large-scale fan engagement initiatives. Her work spanned event strategy, sponsorship development, international talent programming, and collaborations that strengthened the ecosystem connecting fans, creators, and brands.
Her appointment comes as NODWIN Gaming continues to expand its global live events portfolio through marquee intellectual properties such as DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India, and the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series, along with a growing lineup of esports tournaments and gaming festivals across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company has been steadily strengthening its presence in emerging gaming markets, bringing competitive tournaments, fan conventions, and community-focused experiences to audiences shaping the future 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 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.”
