Himanshu Tandon, who led POCO’s operations in India under Xiaomi, has stepped down and is set to join the London-based smartphone maker Nothing in August as head of its CMF division, according to Moneycontrol.
Tandon was among POCO’s founding team and has managed the brand’s India operations since 2022. The report mentioned he worked under Sandeep Singh Arora, Xiaomi India’s Chief Business Officer, who moved from Samsung in January.
This exit marks the second significant leadership change at Xiaomi India within a year, following President Muralikrishnan B’s departure in November 2024.
Xiaomi’s Market Challenges and POCO’s Growth
The resignation of Tandon aligns with Xiaomi’s reduced market presence in India, where Q2 2025 shipments declined 25% YoY to 5 million, and market share decreased from 18% to 13%, the report added.
POCO, however, increased its contribution from 30% to 41% of Xiaomi’s India shipments, delivering 2.03 million units. Canalys highlighted POCO’s focus on Gen Z consumers, gaming features, and offline growth through JioMart Digital.
Tandon’s Role at Nothing’s CMF
Nothing’s cost-effective, design-driven brand CMF is expected to be led by Tandon, as the company recently moved its global marketing operations to India.
The company, co-founded by Akis Evangelidis — who also leads Indian operations — saw CMF grow 229% year-on-year in Q2, fueled by products like CMF Phone 2 Pro and Phone 3a series.
Official announcements from Xiaomi and Nothing about this leadership change are expected in coming days.