Swati Nathani Takes Charge as CEO of Team Pumpkin, Targets Global Growth

Marketing and communications agency Team Pumpkin has appointed co-founder Swati Nathani as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a leadership transition as the agency looks to build a more scalable operating model and expand its international business.

Nathani moves into the CEO role after serving as Chief Business Officer. Co-founder Ranjeet Kumar, who previously served as CEO, will continue with Team Pumpkin as co-founder but will no longer hold the chief executive position.

The agency, which was co-founded by Nathani and Kumar in 2012, now has around 350 employees across India, Toronto and Dallas.

From Founder-Led Execution to Scalable Leadership

After 14 years of building Team Pumpkin, Nathani describes her move into the CEO role as a change in mindset. Rather than remaining the person responsible for solving individual business problems, she says her focus is shifting towards creating systems and developing leaders who can run the business at scale.

The transition comes as Team Pumpkin looks to reduce its dependence on founder-led execution and strengthen the organisational structure supporting its next phase of growth.

AI Becomes Part of the Agency Model

Artificial intelligence is increasingly central to Team Pumpkin’s operating model. The agency has been integrating AI into content, video, creative development, pitches and media buying for more than two years.

The next stage involves integrating AI more deeply into everyday workflows, including allocating tasks according to employees’ skills and availability. The objective is to use human expertise for insights and creative thinking while automating more routine management and execution processes.

Nathani says AI has improved efficiency, although the productivity gains have not necessarily translated into lower costs because agencies also incur expenses for AI tools and require skilled professionals to use them effectively.

Efficiency, Expertise and Client Expectations

The growing use of AI is also changing conversations around agency fees and billable hours. Some clients have questioned whether faster AI-enabled production should result in fewer billable hours or lower fees.

Nathani argues that the value of the output is also linked to the expertise required to achieve it efficiently. In her view, producing a video in two or three iterations can reflect the expertise of the team using the technology, particularly when another team might require significantly more iterations.

She expects AI’s effect on agency margins to evolve as the technology improves and creative assets become easier to edit and manipulate. At the same time, some clients have established restrictions on AI-generated creative work because of concerns around authenticity.

Integrated Services Expand Beyond Content

Team Pumpkin has expanded from its early focus on digital and social media into PR, SEO, performance marketing, influencer marketing, production and technology. The agency’s client portfolio includes Prega News, Care Hospitals, Vision Express, BigBasket, APL Apollo and B-Natural, among others.

Despite its broad service offering, around half of Team Pumpkin’s clients continue to purchase individual services, according to Nathani.

Content remains the agency’s primary revenue driver and serves as a common thread across several of its offerings. Its revenue mix has also evolved, with retainers accounting for around 70% of revenue, compared with 85–90% previously, as project-based business has grown, particularly in technology and website development.

International Business Targets 20% of Revenue

Team Pumpkin’s international operations remain relatively young, with its Toronto and Dallas offices established around three years ago. Its headquarters is in Bengaluru, with major branch offices in Mumbai, Gurugram and Kolkata.

The agency’s international model currently keeps client-facing operations overseas while much of the execution is handled from India. It is also developing local capabilities in areas such as PR and influencer marketing, where market-specific relationships can be important.

International business currently contributes around 7–8% of revenue, with Team Pumpkin targeting 20% over the next four years.

The agency initially expected its India-based cost structure to provide a significant advantage in North American markets. However, Nathani says entering those markets has proved more complex, requiring additional pitching and demonstrations of capability.

Helping Indian Brands Expand Overseas

Another route to international growth is helping existing Indian clients expand into overseas marketplaces. Team Pumpkin is supporting Indian D2C brands entering platforms including Amazon, Noon and Walmart Canada, including assistance with licensing and market setup.

This approach allows the agency to extend existing client relationships into international markets rather than relying exclusively on acquiring new customers abroad.

Exploring AI Engine Optimisation

Beyond conventional agency services, Team Pumpkin is exploring areas such as AI Engine Optimisation (AEO), which focuses on optimising brand content for conversational and long-tail queries that appear in AI-generated responses.

The agency has developed internal tools to monitor brand rankings across AI platforms and has also begun advertising on platforms such as ChatGPT.

Communications for regulated industries is another area under consideration, particularly where tighter marketing restrictions create different requirements for agencies and brands.

Building the Next Phase of Team Pumpkin

For Nathani, the agency’s next phase is centred on expanding the mandates it receives from existing clients while developing technology, systems and processes that change how those mandates are delivered.

With international revenue targeted to rise from its current 7–8% level to 20% by 2030, the CEO transition comes as Team Pumpkin works to combine its integrated services model with greater use of technology, AI and scalable leadership structures.