Sandhya Devanathan is Meta's new India head; what we know about her

Meta has announced the appointment of Sandhya Devanathan as the Vice President of Meta India.

Devanathan will focus on bringing the organisation's business and revenue priorities together to serve its partners and clients while continuing to support the long-term growth of Meta's business and commitment to India, it said in a statement on Thursday.

"She will transition to her new role on January 1, 2023, and will report to Dan Neary, Vice President, Meta APAC and will be a part of the APAC leadership team. She will move back to India to lead the India org and strategy," it added.

The appointment of the new head comes days after former India chief Ajit Mohan stepped down from the company to pursue another "opportunity".

Meta on Thursday said 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.

Who is Sandhya Devanathan?

Devanathan is a global business leader with 22 years of experience and an international career in banking, payments and technology.

She joined Meta in 2016 and helped build out the Singapore and Vietnam businesses and teams as well as Meta's e-commerce initiatives in Southeast Asia. In 2020, she moved to lead Gaming for APAC which is one of the largest verticals for Meta globally.

She also brings a passion for developing women leaders in business and is the Executive Sponsor for Women@APAC at Meta as well as the global lead for Play Forward, a global Meta initiative to improve diversity representation in the gaming industry. She also serves on the global board of Pepper Financial Services.

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On the appointment, Marne Levine, Chief Business Officer, Meta said, "India is at the forefront of digital adoption and Meta has launched many of our top products, such as Reels and Business Messaging, in India first. We are proud to have recently launched JioMart on WhatsApp, which is our first end-to-end shopping experience in India."

"I'm pleased to welcome Sandhya as our new leader for India. 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," Levine added.

• Business
• India