Akul Narula, Vice President – Events at District by Zomato, who was associated with the organisation since 2022 and played a key role in building and scaling the platform’s live events and ticketing vertical, has exited the company after a multi-year tenure with the organisation.
In his role, Narula was closely involved in driving partnerships, strengthening promoter and artist relationships, and enabling scale across a wide range of live event formats.
During his tenure, Narula operated across platform strategy and on-ground execution, supporting the development of event properties that could be scaled across markets. Industry stakeholders note that his work coincided with a period when ticketed live experiences in India were evolving from limited, city-specific shows to larger, repeatable event IPs.
Narula was also known for his hands-on involvement in building event IPs from the ground up. Reflecting on a long-standing association, Rajat Uppal noted that Narula was deeply involved in initiatives spanning both Insider and District.
“Past 5 year’s association with Insider & District, Akul has been at helm of everything we have done with them. It’s been a beautiful journey of building shows and event IPs together from scratch and scaling up ticketing numbers for artists which have not been achieved in the past,” said Rajat Uppal, Business Head – Concerts & Large Events at BAE, ABP Network. He added that Narula’s “passion, aggression and out of the box thinking” played a key role in achieving record-breaking ticketing numbers and scaling event businesses across multiple media conglomerates.
Several collaborators also pointed to Narula’s ability to push partners toward bolder decisions in an industry that often operates under tight margins and high risk. “Akul has always pushed us to do more and encouraged us to make some bold moves which I don’t think we would have ever done without his support. He is a go-getter and someone who will solve all your problems with utmost ease, said Akshat Kumar, Co-founder of WMS Entertainment.
Sabbas Joseph, Co-founder & Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment, reflecting on multiple collaborations with Akul, highlighted his ability to balance ambition with realism: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Akul and the team in the trenches on a few occasions: the very engaging Mumbai Festival, a festival at DLF, a few concerts, the planning of a few forthcoming projects and especially on event policy changes. Akul brings to the table passion, realism, deep diving into data, and always offers a superb network of human and professional connections. He’s a rare professional, sincere to the project, dreaming along with you but anchoring it with caution and aligning the project to market realities. Yes, Akul is coooool. He can make you envision the big dream.
The industry especially commended his curation at the Shows of India Conclave. Its holistic approach and highlighting of the various local, India-wide and global opportunities were appreciated by all. Only a person who understood the industry and embraced its challenges could have pulled that conference together.”
Mohit Bijlani, Founder of Team Innovation, also highlighted Narula’s balance of creativity and execution: “Akul’s passion for live experiences is contagious! His ability to balance creativity and logistics is a rare gift. Grateful for the time we got to collaborate – wishing him all the best for his next adventure!”
“Akul has been a dependable partner in building and scaling ticketed live experiences over the years. His clarity of intent, speed of execution, and willingness to back bold ideas made collaboration easy and effective. Wishing him the very best for what’s next,” said Deepak Choudhary, Founder & MD, EVA Live.
While District by Zomato continues to expand its footprint across food-led experiences, culture, and live entertainment, Narula’s exit is being seen by industry stakeholders as a natural leadership transition rather than a strategic shift.
Details regarding Narula’s next professional move have not been announced. However, given his track record in building and scaling ticketed live experiences, his next chapter is expected to remain closely watched by India’s events, ticketing, and live entertainment community.
