Nikhil Kumar exits Affle after nearly six years. The Affle Group company's chief growth officer has not disclosed his next professional move. 0:00 / 1:28 Nikhil Kumar has stepped down as chief growth officer at mediasmart, the global programmatic advertising platform of the Affle Group, ending a nearly six-year stint with the company. Kumar confirmed his exit to Storyboard18. Neither Affle nor mediasmart had issued an official statement on the development at the time of publication. During his tenure, Kumar held several leadership positions, including senior director - brand and strategy for India and Southeast Asia, vice president for India and Southeast Asia, and most recently chief growth officer. He led initiatives spanning revenue growth, market expansion, brand strategy and strategic partnerships across multiple regions. His departure comes as Affle continues to expand its focus on programmatic advertising, connected TV (CTV) and performance-led brand solutions through mediasmart. Kumar played a key role in positioning the platform around full-funnel advertising and cross-screen marketing, particularly in emerging markets. He also represented the company at industry events, speaking on topics such as CTV adoption, measurement and the evolution of mobile-first advertising. Before joining mediasmart, Kumar held leadership roles at ByteDance, where he served as business head for global business solutions in India, and at InMobi as director - brand strategy. Earlier in his career, he worked at PUMA India, L'Oréal and Cafe Coffee Day across marketing and brand management functions. Kumar also serves as a board member of the Mobile Marketing Association India. He has not announced his next professional move.

Affle appoints Nikhil Kumar as Chief Growth & Marketing Officer for India. Most recently, Nikhil Kumar held the position of Chief Growth Officer at mediasmart Affle has announced the appointment of Nikhil Kumar as Chief Growth and Marketing Officer for India & Emerging Markets. Nikhil has been associated with Affle for more than five years. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Growth Officer at mediasmart, where he contributed significantly to scaling growth across India as well as international markets. He brings close to 20 years of experience across FMCG, retail, F&B, and ad-tech sectors. "Affle stands on a strong foundation of trust, performance, and sustained recognition across the industry," said Vipul Kedia, COO for India & Emerging Markets at Affle. "As we continue to scale our consumer platforms and strengthen our presence across India and emerging markets, Nikhil's cross-industry expertise and proven ability to drive growth and thought leadership positioning make him well-positioned to lead this next phase. Nikhil will play a key role in amplifying our verticalized AI-led strategy, aligning marketing with growth initiatives, and strengthening our market presence across high-growth economies." Nikhil Kumar, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer for India & Emerging Markets, added, "As we enter Affle's 22nd year, we are building on a strong legacy over the last two decades as a globally recognised, consumer-centric organisation with differentiated offerings across markets. This foundation continues to support our 10X growth vision for the next decade across India and Emerging Markets, strengthening our market presence and category leadership. We will continue reinforcing Affle as a leading consumer platform built on an Al-first verticalised value, supported by an intelligence layer designed to provide a trusted experience for our customers."