Pavan Nemali
Growth Head & Performance Marketing
17 years in performance marketing — from hands-on Google & Meta execution to running ₹100+ Cr in quarterly ad spend and leading 60+ person marketing teams as a former agency leader.
Performance marketing leader, 17 years in.
Former agency leader in performance marketing, now working as a Growth Head and Performance Marketing leader. I've sat on both sides of the table — running the P&L and running the campaigns.
Over a decade, I've managed ₹100+ Cr in quarterly ad spend across Google, YouTube, and Meta, built and led marketing teams of 60+ specialists, and worked across D2C, real estate, healthcare, and B2B categories.
I think in CAC, ROAS, and pipeline — not impressions and reach — and I'm equally comfortable in a board meeting or an Ads Manager account the same week.
Experience
17 years across agency leadership, in-house performance marketing, and hands-on paid media execution.
Head of Performance Marketing — Basil Communications Pvt Ltd
Driving performance across Google, YouTube, Meta and e-commerce platforms for high-growth D2C and lifestyle brands — scalable, data-backed campaigns focused on lowering CAC and increasing LTV.
Senior Director, Paid Media — Unigage (Founding team)
Part of the founding team; helped scale the agency from a ~20-person startup to a ~80-person Google Premier Partner and Meta Preferred Partner over four years.
Performance marketing & SEM roles across agencies
DDB Mudra Group, Media Moments, PK Online Ventures, Percept Knorigin, i-Vista Digital Solutions, DiscountPandit, Fareportal, Neo@Ogilvy, and ISPG Technologies — building up search, display and paid social expertise.
Yahoo! Search Marketing Analytics — Infosys BPO
Analysed performance of Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts for the US market, streamlining transaction flow and auditing campaign quality for Infosys BPO.
B.Com in Accounting
JNRV University · 2005–2007
Categories I already know the playbook for
High-CPC, high-consideration, or trust-led categories — where generic performance marketing hires plateau fast.
Developers & luxury builders
IVF, fertility & specialty clinics
Beauty, lifestyle & wellness brands
Boutique creative & branding shops
Architecture & home décor brands
Funded B2B SaaS & fintech
BlueStone Jewellery
Sleepyhead
Nova IVF Fertility
Star Health Insurance
Duroflex
IFB
Scripbox
Classic Legends
Carbonado
Transteel Seating
Turno
Auriglo
Old School Rituals
AVP
Ratnakaar
Interview Kickstart
Bright Champs
Estuary
Sadhev Ayurveda
Athreya Herbs
Moonfrog
Lapis Bard
Totem
Unbottle
Onsurity
VC Now
Puma
Shoppers Stop
Neeman's Shoes
Featherlite Furniture
Milann IVF
Vaishnavi Builders
Divyasree Real Estate
Pashmina Real Estates
Total Environment
Keka HR
Magick HomesFrom the people who've managed the spend with me
24 recommendations from clients, direct reports, managers, and teammates across a 17 year career — unedited.
In just six months of handling our Google Ads campaigns, Pavan Nemali demonstrated why his vast experience in performance marketing make him such a valuable partner. What impressed me was how Pavan structured our digital marketing funnel on Google platforms with insight & precision, crafting top, middle and bottom funnel strategies that resonated perfectly with our target audience segments. Pavan's command over Google's advertising platform is commendable — he optimized our campaigns with surgical precision, ensuring our marketing spends delivered maximum ROI. He is the sort of person who'd speak moderately in meetings but always carries a lot of weight when he does, and I particularly appreciate how he handled our urgent demands, often responding to late-night WhatsApp messages with the same enthusiasm as during working hours.— Ramakant Raju D S, Marketing Director at Turno · client
Adnan Rab
Pavan is a powerhouse in the performance marketing space and an even better mentor. His track record with major brands speaks for itself, but it's his ability to foster a culture of data-driven excellence and continuous learning that sets him apart. He has been instrumental in my development, always encouraging a full-funnel approach. I cannot recommend him highly enough as a leader and a strategist.
Sourav Kumar
I had the opportunity to work closely with him in the same team, and his depth of expertise in Google Ads truly stands out. With 17+ years of hands-on experience, he brings an expert-level understanding of campaign structure, account architecture, and technical execution — especially in complex, large-scale accounts, and his work consistently reflects clarity, precision, and a strong grasp of what drives performance at scale.
Poonam Valvatkar
Highly recommend Pavan as a dedicated and results-driven professional! His expertise in managing our digital marketing efforts has been instrumental in driving engagement and growth for our brand. Proactive approach, and an understanding of our business goals makes him a valuable partner. Looking forward to continuing our successful collaboration.
Akash Iyer
Pavan was a steady and reliable partner during his time leading Google at Unigage. He brought clarity to discussions, helped the team focus on what mattered, and approached problems with a practical mindset. Working with him made delivery smoother, decision making faster, and cross-team alignment easier.
Raja Bhagiaraj
Having worked with Pavan for four years, I've witnessed his deep expertise in paid media strategy and performance marketing. He has a strong command of data-driven decision-making and campaign optimization, consistently delivering exceptional results. His ability to lead teams, manage large-scale budgets, and drive growth makes him an invaluable asset to any organization.
Amlesh Kumar
I highly recommend Pavan Nemali for his exceptional expertise in digital marketing leadership. His deep understanding of performance marketing, combined with a data-driven and innovative approach, has consistently delivered outstanding ROI across Google Ads, YouTube, and Facebook — integrating creativity with analytical precision so campaigns resonate while driving measurable business growth.
Shankar Jayaraman
I highly recommend Pavan for his deep expertise in Google Ads. His ability to analyze data and uncover insights is truly astonishing. He has a sharp understanding of campaign performance, optimization strategies, and audience behavior, making him a valuable asset to any team.
Venkat Raman
Working with Pavan has been one of the highlights of my journey as a co-founder. He was more than just a part of the team at Unigage; he was our right-hand man — a powerhouse of knowledge and the calm amidst chaos. He earned his reputation as "the calm one" because, while others might hesitate, Pavan ran toward the fires, ready to extinguish them with his strategic acumen and steadfast demeanor. His ability to balance big-picture thinking with a hands-on approach is rare and invaluable.
Kishan Kumar U
I had the pleasure of working with Pavan for almost a year, and it was a great experience. He is highly knowledgeable in his field and always willing to support the team. What stands out the most is his dedication to ensuring that each team member feels supported and has the resources needed to succeed.
Viknesh Elanko
I had the pleasure of working with Pavan for five years, during which he played a significant role in my professional development. Pavan is an exceptional strategist in performance marketing, especially in Google Ads, and his deep knowledge consistently drives impressive results. He has been a great mentor, guiding me through both technical and leadership aspects.
Rahul Devnath
I had the privilege of working closely with Pavan Nemali for five years at Unigage. His dedication, expertise, and leadership qualities have been a tremendous asset to our team. As Senior Director of Paid Media, he led a team of performance marketers with remarkable skill and vision — his deep understanding of the digital landscape and data-driven strategies consistently delivered outstanding results and drove significant growth and ROI for our clients.
Blesson Joseph
Pavan is one of the most accommodative paid strategists I have ever worked with. His deep subject knowledge with attention to detail is astonishing. He would be a great fit in any digital strategy team.
Saurabh Durgapal
I have worked with Pavan for ~2 years during my tenure at Sleepyhead. Pavan & team were able to help us grow Sleepyhead to new heights over the years. Their approach to planning and execution while taking a data-driven approach was exemplary, and they were great at figuring out unconventional solutions to tricky analytics problems.
Abhijeet Deb
Pavan is undoubtedly a leader in digital marketing and I have personally learnt a lot under him. His enthusiasm, hard work and dedication is an inspiration, and I have seen him hold the entire digital team together with so much dignity — leadership is probably the next best thing that comes to him naturally, after AdWords.
Caleb Peter
Pavan moved from being a hard worker to a complete team handler when we worked together. He handled the Search campaigns with ease. It's very hard to find guys with 10 years of Search experience in India.
Cauvery Adiga
Pavan is a sharp individual who understands search very well. He keeps himself updated about developments in this space. His dedication to client's success is commendable, and his eye for detail ensures the campaign is always under control.
Anand A
Pavan understands concepts very well — bang-on SEM expert who generates excellent results. He has A/B/C/D/E testing plans, not just AB testing. Attention to detail, and always dependable.
Sangeetha J S
Pavan is an SEM wizard. He is really quick, hardworking, and takes full responsibility of the work allocated to him. Pavan is super fun to work with and has an amazing presence of mind.
Steve Tate
Pavan worked for us as back-end support while at Infosys for Yahoo's North America Search Marketing accounts. He could always be trusted for turnaround time on any given task, with a solid understanding of core competencies for SEM creative strategy, and was quick to implement recommended changes.
Aishwarya S Rao
Pavan and I worked together for a short time. There was one consistent trait to him that was to be admired — hard work. This is what I still remember about him and will think of him as.
Gyan Pratap Singh
He has a real passion for online marketing and is very easy to work with. All the best!
Sherin Varghese
One of the best colleagues I worked with for PPC metrics. His super qualities include quick adaptation to new strategic changes and implementing them towards paid campaigns — he excels in most metrics by following the best practices. Good luck to him and wishing him the best for the future.
Anjali Kumari
Pavan is a hard-working, creative professional that brings a lot to any table. A driven, ambitious individual with an infectious enthusiasm for any project. He has a good hold on Search Engine Marketing — a good team player and person with a positive attitude.
Let's talk growth.
Open to senior leadership roles across performance marketing — reach out to see if there's a fit.