MC EXCLUSIVE Xiaomi sub-brand Poco India chief Himanshu Tandon quits, likely to join rival Nothing

Himanshu Tandon

Himanshu Tandon, the executive who helmed Xiaomi’s sub-brand Poco in India, has resigned and is expected to join rival London-based smartphone firm Nothing in August to lead its CMF division, sources have told Moneycontrol.

Tandon’s is the second major exit from Xiaomi India in under a year following the departure of president Muralikrishnan B in November 2024. Tandon was part of the founding team of Poco and was tasked with spearheading the sub-brand’s operations in the country in 2022.

He reported to Sandeep Singh Arora, who joined Xiaomi India as chief business officer in January from Samsung.

His exit comes as Xiaomi grapples with shrinking market share and falling smartphone shipments, even as Poco has emerged as one of its few bright spots in recent quarters.

Poco, Xiaomi and Nothing didn't respond to Moneycontrol queries.

Xiaomi is executing a strategic shift towards a premium, value-driven approach to rebuild profitability in India.

Poco has helped buoy volumes. In Q2 2025, it accounted for 41 percent of Xiaomi’s India shipments, up from 30 percent in the previous year. It shipped 2.03 million units in the quarter, up from 1.5 million in Q1, according to Canalys.

Xiaomi’s total shipments, including Poco, dropped 25 percent year-on-year to 5 million units, with market share sliding to 13 percent from 18 percent. It saw the steepest decline among major brands in the second quarter.

Redmi, Xiaomi’s primary smartphone line, has been struggling to gain traction among consumers, especially in offline retail channels.

READ MORE: Xiaomi recalibrates India strategy with premium push following sales slump

“Poco's growth is powered by a sharp focus on Gen Z buyers through bold design choices, gaming-centric features, and a strong display-performance package. Equally critical has been Poco’s rapid offline expansion, especially via its partnership with JioMart Digital, helping it scale retail presence nationwide," Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Canalys.

Tandon’s expected move to join CMF at Nothing aligns with the latter’s aggressive India pivot. Recently, Nothing relocated its global marketing operations to India, signalling long-term bets on the market.

CMF, which targets the value-design segment with earbuds, phones, and accessories, aims to leverage India’s scale and speed for product and campaign rollouts.

The transition was announced by Akis Evangelidis, Nothing’s co-founder, also the president of India operations.

Under his leadership, Nothing recorded 229 percent YoY growth in Q2, powered by demand for the CMF Phone 2 Pro, Phone 3a, and Phone 3a Pro, tapping into urban youth with design-led innovation.