Snap has poached Ajit Mohan (pictured left) from Meta to serve as the company’s new APAC president, overseeing its business in Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
Mohan previously served as Meta’s Head of Meta India, having joined the Facebook parent in January 2019. Mohan confirmed the move in a LinkedIn post, saying that he was “absolutely proud of the work the team and I have done to create impact for people, creators and businesses around the country.”
During his time in charge of Meta’s operations in India, the business added more than 300 million to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. He also oversaw a AU$9 billion investment in telecoms provider Reliance Jio Platforms and launched WhatsApp grocery shopping.
Meta used India as a test market for many of its new products and services, including Instagram Reels.
“When I took on this role, I shared with you that our mission in India will be to become a valuable ally to India and to help fuel its economic and social transformation. This is exactly what we have managed to do in the last four years,” Mohan wrote in an internal post seen by TechCrunch.
“Ajit has decided to step down from his role at Meta to pursue another opportunity outside of the company,” Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of Global Business Group at Meta, said in a statement.
“Over the last four years, he has played an important role in shaping and scaling our India operations so they can serve many millions of Indian businesses, partners and people. We remain deeply committed to India and have a strong leadership team in place to carry on all our work and partnerships. We are grateful for Ajit’s leadership and contribution and wish him the very best for the future.”
Manish Chopra, director and head of partnerships at Meta India, will serve as the interim head of the company’s operations in the country, a Meta spokesperson said.
