Poco India Head Himanshu Tandon Departs Firm, Could Join Carl-Pei Led Nothing: Report

Himanshu Tandon, Poco's top executive in the country, has departed the Xiaomi sub-brand, according to a report. The Poco India head is said to join Nothing, the startup led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. Tandon assumed control of Poco India in 2022, as part of an organisational rejig, and has overseen the growth of the company's subsidiary in the country. His exit comes at a time when Poco's parent firm Xiaomi faces stiff competition from rivals like Vivo, Samsung, and Oppo.

Himanshu Tandon Said to Be Likely to Lead Nothing's CMF Division

According to a Moneycontrol report that cites unnamed sources, Tandon has resigned from his position as Poco India head. The executive said to be is likely to join CMF, the sub-brand of Nothing, a UK-based technology startup. Tandon's departure comes months after Xiaomi President Muralikrishnan B exited the firm. 

Gadgets 360 has reached out to Poco India and Nothing for comment on the executive's departure, and this article will be updated when a response is received.

Poco's parent firm Xiaomi has faced challenges in the Indian market in recent months, and annual growth fell by 25 percent, according to a report by market research firm Canalys on smartphone shipments in Q2 2025 published earlier this week. During the same period, rival Chinese firms like Vivo and Oppo achieved an annual growth of 31 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

In India, Xiaomi reportedly shipped 5 million handsets in Q2 2025, and had a market share of 13 percent, according to Canalys. Meanwhile, Vivo led the market with 8.1 million shipments, and 21 percent market share. It's worth noting that Vivo and Xiaomi's numbers include their sub-brands, iQOO and Poco, respectively.

"We see good synergy here. Himanshu has been doing a really good job for Poco India where he has led the brand, and he understands the entire ecosystem really well. I think it's a big win for Nothing if he is going there. This is coming at a very important time as well, Nothing is scaling both online and offline segments. There is a considerable overlap of the user base of both these brands, and it will be interesting to see how Himanshu is going to take it from here," said Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak.

Himanshu Tandon has had a successful stint at the helm of POCO, strengthening the brand's salience among Gen Z and expanding its accessibility across retail channels. To sustain its recent growth momentum, POCO will now need to swiftly recalibrate its strategy," said Prabhu Ram Analyst: Prabhu Ram, VP at Industry Research Group (IRG), CyberMedia Research (CMR).