Major Blow for Xiaomi as Poco India Head Himanshu Tandon Reportedly Departs

In a shocker to Xiaomi, Poco's India Head Himanshu Tandon has reportedly quit and may join Nothing to spearhead the CMF brand in the subcontinent.

Sources have informed MoneyControl that Himanshu Tandon's five-year run as Poco's India Head could finally come to an end, as he could reportedly join the competitor brand Nothing to drive its CMF operations in the subcontinent. Prior to joining Poco, Himanshu has also handled and helped set up Xiaomi's offline retail chain.

For those unaware, CMF by Nothing is currently headed by Akis Evangelidis, Nothing's co-founder. The arrival of Himanshu should help CMF focus more precisely on the Indian market, as the firm appears to have big plans with upcoming product launches, possibly CMF Buds 2a and CMF Watch Pro 3.

As for Xiaomi, this is bad news as the firm has been struggling to move units in India. The departure of employees, including former president Muralikrishnan B, and immense competition from other brands are some of the reasons.

In the last few years, Poco has contributed immensely to the sales, around 41% according to Canalys. Poco's latest release, the Poco F7, was received well thanks to the brand understanding the wants of the younger audience. 

While Xiaomi stands strong at third place in global and India smartphone sales, the brand's diminishing market share in the latter market has been a point of concern for a long time. Himanshu's exit could put the firm back in a tough spot.

The brand recently unveiled Redmi Note 15 and Redmi 15 series, aimed at budget audience. It was also reported that Xiaomi has cancelled the Civi 15 India launch to focus more on mid-range devices.

Nothing, on the other hand, has seen immense growth in the subcontinent thanks to the Nothing Phone (3a) series and the CMF Phone 2 Pro, including a host of audio products and connected devices. With two more products on the horizon, the brand is expected to grow stronger in the country.