Kolkata: TikTok Middle East, Turkey, Africa (META), and south Asia head Nikhil Gandhi has quit, according to media reports. 

Gandhi joined TikTok in 2019 as India and south Asia CEO. He was redesignated to his current position in January 2021 after parent company ByteDance decided to fold it's TikTok operation in India following the ban on the short form video app. 

“After much reflection on my time here at ByteDance and looking at my future goals, I have made the difficult decision to leave my role in the company," Gandhi said as quoted in media reports. 

"Working with TikTok, I have seen our app shepherd in a new era of connection, communication and cultural appreciation," he added.

The app which revolutionised short format video in India was banned by the government in 2020 along with multiple other Chinese apps amid rising geopolitical tension. 

In a career spanning over two decades, Gandhi has been a part of leading media and entertainment companies and held leadership roles at Times Network, The Walt Disney Company, and Viacom Media Networks.