NODWIN Gaming, a pioneer in new-age youth entertainment, gaming, and esports, has appointed Sonal Varma as Global Director for Live Events, solidifying the company’s leadership as it expands its worldwide portfolio of immersive gaming, esports, and pop culture events.
With more than a decade and a half of experience establishing some of India’s most renowned fan communities and large-scale live properties such as Comic Con India, Geekly, Indian Cosplay Championship, and so on, Sonal joins NODWIN at a time when the company is expanding its presence in emerging gaming markets around the world.
Sonal’s new position will be to oversee the strategy, design, and implementation of new projects throughout NODWIN Gaming’s worldwide live event ecosystem, including marquee intellectual properties and innovative formats that bring gaming communities together. Her primary emphasis will be on growing experiences across emerging markets and increasing the cultural relevance of NODWIN’s events for a wide range of people.
Sonal has over 15 years of expertise creating fan-focused events and community-driven cultural platforms. During her time as Vice President of Comic Con India, she was instrumental in transforming the event into one of the country’s most prominent pop culture platforms, driving multi-city expansion, strategic brand collaborations, and high-impact partnerships with global studios and leading consumer brands. Her leadership included event strategy, sponsorships, international talent programming, and large-scale fan interaction initiatives, all of which contributed to the development of a healthy ecosystem that unites fans, artists, and marketers.
Her appointment comes as NODWIN Gaming expands its global event footprint with marquee IPs like DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India, Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGMS), and a growing portfolio of esports and gaming festivals in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The organization has progressively increased its presence in growing gaming markets, offering large-scale competitive tournaments, fan conventions, and community-driven events to consumers who are influencing the next chapter of global gaming culture.
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.”
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.”
NODWIN Gaming has steadily developed to become one of the world’s premier gaming and esports organisations, with an ecosystem that includes competitive gaming, fan festivals, creative communities, and youth culture platforms. Through its global IPs and strategic alliances, the firm continues to invest in new areas with fast growing gaming communities, offering world-class experiences to millions of fans while supporting local talent, creators, and grassroots communities.
With Sonal Varma joining the leadership team to oversee global live events, NODWIN Gaming intends to expand its core brands and create new formats that highlight the junction of gaming, esports, entertainment, and fandom in foreign markets.
