Meta India designates Sandhya Devanathan as new country head and VP
Presently, Devanathan is Meta's Asia-Pacific (APAC) division's vice president of gaming. She will report to Dan Neary, vice president of Meta's global APAC business, in her new position. Devanathan formerly worked as Singapore's country managing director and Vietnam's business head.
FollowMeta has appointed Sandhya Devanathan as its new top executive for India, two weeks after the departure of former India head Ajit Mohan. In its statement, Meta said that Devanathan will take over as country head of Meta India on January 1, 2023.
Presently, Devanathan is Meta's Asia-Pacific (APAC) division's vice president of gaming. She will report to Dan Neary, vice president of Meta's global APAC business, in her new position. Devanathan formerly worked as Singapore's country managing director and Vietnam's business head.
Devanathan will spearhead the company's India mission and deepen strategic connections with the country's biggest brands, artists, advertisers, and partners to drive Meta's revenue growth in key channels in India.
She is a global business leader with 22 years of expertise in banking, payments, and technology. According to her LinkedIn profile, she studied MBA from Delhi University's Faculty of Management Studies in 2000.
Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and helped build out the Singapore and Vietnam companies and teams and the internet giant's Southeast Asian e-commerce ambitions. Devanathan moved to manage the company's gaming activities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in 2020, one of Meta's largest verticals internationally.
As per LinkedIn, she is a big supporter of women in leadership and promoting diversity at the workplace. She is Meta's Executive Sponsor for Women@APAC and the global lead for Play Forward, an international Meta programme to enhance diversity representation in the gaming industry.
Devanathan's appointment comes after several high-profile departures from the company's India ventures. On November 3, Meta announced the immediate departure of former country leader Ajit Mohan. On November 15, the firm announced the departures of Abhijit Bose, WhatsApp India's country head, and Rajiv Aggarwal, Meta India's public policy director.
The departures come during Meta's largest single layoff period. On November 9, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said that the firm would lay off 11,000 people, or around 13 per cent of its staff, and halt all hiring until at least March of next year.
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