Meta appoints Sandhya Devanathan as India head

Meta Platforms announced on Thursday that Sandhya Devanathan has been appointed as its India head, days after Ajit Mohan’s departure to join rival Snap Inc.

She replaces Ajit Mohan, who left Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, at the beginning of this month.

That announcement also comes on the heels of news that both the director of public policy for India, Rajiv Aggarwal, and the head of WhatsApp in India, Abhijit Bose, at Meta Platforms resigned earlier this week.

“I’m pleased to welcome Sandhya as our new leader for India,” Meta Chief Business Officer Marne Levine said in a statement.

“Sandhya has a proven track record of scaling businesses, building exceptional and inclusive teams, driving product innovation and building strong partnerships. We are thrilled to have her lead Meta’s continued growth in India,” added the statement.

The appointment of Devanathan comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration tightens legislation controlling Big Tech corporations, and Facebook faces regulatory problems in India.

For years, the business has come under fire for not doing more to stop the spread of false information and hate speech in India.

Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and has since contributed to developing teams in Singapore and Vietnam and Meta’s e-commerce operations throughout the region.

She relocated to Indonesia in 2020 to oversee gaming for APAC, one of Meta’s major worldwide verticals.

Devanathan will move into her new role in January as a member of the APAC leadership team and report to Dan Neary, Vice President, Meta APAC.

“She will move back to India to lead the India org and strategy. As part of her role, Devanathan will spearhead the company’s India charter and strengthen the strategic relationships with the country’s leading brands, creators, advertisers, and partners to drive Meta’s revenue growth in key channels in India,” said Meta’s statement. NDTV