NODWIN Gaming

Head of NODWIN Gaming Turkey and co-founder of Ninja Global, working in gaming since 2013 in Istanbul.

Co-founder and CEO for India who, alongside Akshat Rathee, established NODWIN Gaming in 2014 after the collapse of the early Indian esports scene.

Co-founder of Ninja Global (originally Massk, founded 2013) and CEO of NODWIN Gaming MENA.

Co-founder and advisor for Comic Con India, which began around 2010.

Co-founder of AFK Gaming (started October 2012) and SVP for Founder Office and MD Office initiatives at NODWIN Gaming.

Anuj Bhutani is a Project Manager at NODWIN Gaming with 12 years of experience in esports, including the past 7 years at the company. In this role, he has hosted tournaments in India and organized international events.

Arunmozhi Varman serves as Head of South India at NODWIN Gaming, working in the computer games industry. His areas of experience include requirements analysis, supply chain management, leadership, and team management. He holds a Master of Science in Software Systems from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.

Ashish Khoria is Senior Vice President for Game Distribution across India, MENA, and Europe at NODWIN Gaming. He has over 28 years of experience spanning ecommerce, gaming, and banking, including 21 years in gaming and ecommerce and 7 years in banking. His background covers business strategy, sales and marketing, operations, product development, and channel distribution across B2B and B2C markets.

Désiré Koussawo is president of SAGES Africa and honorary president of Association Futurolan, which organizes the Gamers Assembly at Futuroscope, France's largest video gaming gathering. He formerly served as president of France Esports, an organization that brings together French esports stakeholders including publishers, promoters, teams, and players, and as managing director of ESL Gaming France, where he oversaw event development and client services. Koussawo previously founded GeeX Events, an event agency specializing in digital festivals focused on music, gaming, and technology.

Inga Petrova is VP Special Projects, People and Operations at NODWIN Gaming, with over 15 years of experience in operations and people functions across multiple industries. Her work spans knowledge management systems, HR initiatives, and financial optimization, with additional experience in talent acquisition, performance management, and change management. She holds an MBA.

Madhvi Sharma is Head of Human Resources & Administration at NODWIN Gaming. Her experience spans talent management, policy development and implementation, employee relations, regulatory compliance and reporting, merger integration, training and development, performance management, and vendor relationship management. She also works with corporate communications, corporate events, and process improvement initiatives.

Merlin Wiedeking is President at NODWIN Gaming USA Inc. and Chief Executive Officer at NODWIN Gaming International, where he oversees the company's esports, gaming, and entertainment operations. With over ten years of experience scaling operations across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, he focuses on market entry, expansion, and M&A strategy in emerging gaming ecosystems.

Nimish Raut is Global Head of Esports, Partnerships & Special Projects at NODWIN Gaming. His career began in sports marketing across properties including ICC World Cups, the IPL, Hockey India League, and the English Premier League, before he moved into esports in the SEA region around 2013–14 and later held roles at Riot Games and as India Lead at Fnatic. He subsequently worked on culture-led brand IPs at Red Bull India, such as Red Bull Kite Fight and Red Bull Tashan, and joined the product team at Star Sports and Hotstar, focusing on new sports and esports properties and platform innovation.

Samy Ouerfelli works in Corporate Strategy and International Growth at NODWIN Gaming. He has over 20 years of international experience in the gaming and esports industry, focusing on business development, strategic growth, and ecosystem structuring. His work has included scaling operations, establishing territories, and managing multistakeholder partnerships across the EU, CIS, and emerging markets.

Shounak Sengupta is Head of Operations at Max Level, where the work covers esports content planning and execution. His focus areas also include business content and industry research.

Sonal Varma is Global Director of Live Initiatives at NODWIN Gaming, working in brand and experiential marketing across the entertainment, lifestyle, youth, and creator sectors. With over 15 years of experience, she has developed IP-led events, brand partnerships, and fan engagement campaigns, and was involved in building Comic-Con India.

Teemu Koski is CEO of NODWIN Gaming MENA, where he oversees the company's operations across the Middle East and North Africa. He also leads NODWIN Gaming's global data monetization business, developing commercial products and partnerships across the company's international ecosystem. Koski has more than 15 years of experience building businesses in the telecom, technology, and gaming sectors, working with governments, publishers, investors, rights holders, and brands.