Smytten has appointed Shishir Varma as chief executive officer of PulseAI Research, its AI-driven consumer intelligence platform, marking a key step in scaling its enterprise-focused research offering. The platform, now rebranded from Smytten PulseAI to PulseAI Research, reflects a shift towards an always-on, AI-led insights model designed for speed, scale and actionable intelligence.
Varma joins from Kantar, where he most recently served as managing director, insights, Japan. With over 30 years of experience across APAC, India, China and Japan, his appointment is positioned as a strategic move to strengthen PulseAI Research’s positioning among enterprise clients and accelerate its growth trajectory. His prior role in setting up and scaling Millward Brown in India further underlines his experience in building research-driven businesses.
The announcement comes as PulseAI Research crosses 150+ enterprise clients within 18 months, signalling strong market demand for alternatives to traditional research methodologies. The platform’s proposition centres on combining real consumer behaviour with AI-led analytics, moving beyond conventional survey-based approaches to deliver faster and more predictive insights.
Shishir Varma said, “Consumer research has been constrained by speed, scale, and the authenticity of data. With PulseAI Research, we’re fundamentally rethinking that model by combining real product interactions with AI-led insights to create a more reliable and dynamic understanding of consumers. What excites me the most is the ability to tap into observed behavior and unlock insights that are not just faster, but significantly more predictive and actionable.
We believe the future of consumer intelligence will be built on real-world interactions at scale, not just surveys. PulseAI Research represents a new category where AI meets live consumer behavior, enabling brands to make sharper, more confident decisions in days, not weeks. The opportunity to build this intelligence layer-powered by millions of authentic product experiences and translate it into meaningful outcomes for brands, is incredibly compelling.”
Siddhartha Nangia, co-founder, Smytten and PulseAI Research, added, “We are thrilled to welcome Shishir as the CEO of PulseAI Research. He is highly relevant for where we are taking this platform, given his deep grounding in insights and analytics, strong credibility with brands, and proven ability to scale data-led platforms globally. He has the rare combination of a builder’s mindset and large-company experience, having set up and grown Millward Brown (now part of Kantar) in India from scratch. We are confident that he will help us disrupt the consumer intelligence space and evolve PulseAI Research into a category-leading, AI-driven intelligence engine.”
The platform’s repositioning reflects a broader industry shift towards agile, data-led decision-making. PulseAI Research leverages Smytten’s ecosystem of 30 million users, built through product discovery and purchase behaviour, to offer access to observed consumer actions rather than claimed responses. This distinction is central to its messaging, positioning the platform as a more reliable source of insight for brands.
The AI-led infrastructure integrates behavioural data with large language model-driven analysis to deliver real-time consumer sentiment tracking, scalable qualitative insights, faster quantitative research and continuous brand and campaign intelligence. This enables marketers to transition from static, project-based studies to dynamic, always-on research frameworks, reducing turnaround times while improving accuracy and relevance.
The platform’s application extends beyond FMCG to sectors such as automotive, education, gadgets and emerging consumer categories, reflecting its ambition to become a cross-industry intelligence layer. By aligning product capabilities with evolving marketer needs, PulseAI Research positions itself as a tool for sharper, faster and more contextual decision-making.
Overall, the appointment of Varma and the rebranding of PulseAI Research underline Smytten’s strategic focus on redefining consumer intelligence through AI, behavioural data and scalable research solutions, aimed at enabling brands to respond more effectively in a rapidly changing market environment.
