INDIA, Bengaluru – 15th May 2026: Razorpay, India’s Omnichannel Payments Platform for Businesses, today announced the elevation of Apuarv Sethi to the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). A key architect of Razorpay’s brand evolution and SME growth journey over the last few years, Apuarv has played an instrumental role in shaping the company’s marketing strategy, strengthening India’s small business ecosystem, and building scalable growth engines across customer segments.
In his new role, Apuarv will expand on this mandate to lead Razorpay’s Marketing and SME Business Growth strategy across India and Southeast Asia (SEA), with a strong focus on pioneering AI-led innovations that redefine how brands build trust, drive engagement, and create measurable business impact at scale. He will oversee the company’s broader go-to-market (GTM) strategy, ecosystem initiatives, revenue acceleration, and next-generation growth frameworks across geographies and product lines.
As CMO, Apuarv will focus on unlocking new frontiers in AI-powered marketing, leveraging emerging technologies in ways the industry is only beginning to explore – from reimagining customer experiences and predictive engagement models to building intelligent growth systems that accelerate brand relevance, customer acquisition, retention, and long-term ecosystem trust across India and international markets.
Apuarv joined Razorpay as Vice President of Marketing in April 2021 and has since been at the forefront of shaping the company’s brand and SME growth strategy. In his most recent role as Senior Vice President – Marketing, he led Razorpay’s brand strategy, product marketing, performance marketing, communications, and customer engagement initiatives, while driving growth across key business segments, especially SMEs. Under his leadership, Razorpay sharpened its market positioning through culturally resonant and insight-driven storytelling. He spearheaded several campaigns, including ‘Backing India’s Boldest’, which celebrated 37 homegrown startups and their founders during India’s cricketing moments; the AI-powered founder-first print ad campaign, ‘#ImaginedThroughAI,’ and the ‘Get Paid, Not Played,’ which addressed hidden fees in cross-border payments. He also played a key role in building impactful marketing capabilities spanning brand, growth, and ecosystem marketing.
With nearly two decades of experience, Apuarv Sethi brings expertise across brand building, marketing, growth strategy, monetisation, loyalty, and business strategy across industries, including fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, and education. Before Razorpay, he held leadership roles at Flipkart, Mindtree, and Manipal Global Education Services, where he played a key role in shaping brand strategy, go-to-market execution, and campaigns aimed at strengthening market presence and business growth.
Congratulating Apuarv on his elevation, Rahul Kothari, COO, Razorpay, said, “Apuarv has played an instrumental role in shaping Razorpay’s brand journey over the years. His deep understanding of customer behavior, combined with a strategic and creative vision, has helped us build a brand that resonates with small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. As Razorpay strives for global expansion, strong brand leadership will be more important than ever. Apuarv’s ability to blend storytelling with business impact makes him the ideal leader to drive our marketing vision forward. We hope to see Razorpay building meaningful customer connections under his leadership.”
Apuarv Sethi, Chief Marketing Officer, Razorpay, said, “The future of marketing won’t be built by AI alone, nor by human instinct in isolation, but by the powerful intersection of both. At Razorpay, we’ve always believed that the most meaningful innovation is the kind that solves real problems for businesses. As we step into an increasingly AI-native world, the opportunity before us is to reimagine how brands connect, build trust, and create value at scale – while keeping human creativity and empathy at the core. For India’s small businesses, this is a transformative moment. My focus will be on shaping marketing that is not just smarter and more efficient, but deeply intuitive and purposeful, and drive meaningful SME brand growth – helping India’s disruptive entrepreneurs unlock their next phase of growth and scale with confidence.”
Razorpay continues to strengthen its digital payment and financial solutions ecosystem for businesses across online and offline commerce. As customer journeys and business expectations evolve in the AI-first era, the company remains focused on driving innovation, deepening ecosystem collaboration, and building enduring brand relevance across India and SEA markets.
