Meet new Meta India head Sandhya Devanathan, an Andhra University alumna

Visakhapatnam: Andhra University is on a high after its alumna Sandhya Devanathan was appointed Meta's India head. She replaced Ajit Mohan who resigned from the position earlier. Sandhya Devanathan will assume her new role on 1 January 2023. Currently, she is the head of Meta's gaming vertical for Asia-Pacific.

Who is Sandhya Devanathan?

Sandhya completed her chemical engineering from Andhra University in 1998. She studied as a day scholar (1994-98 batch) at her grandparents' place in Pedda Waltair, Visakhapatnam. Later, she moved to Delhi to pursue MBA at Delhi University.

According to Andhra University teachers, Sandhya was one of the brightest students and an all-rounder in everything. Devanathan also pursued a course in leadership from Oxford University in 2014. Joining Facebook's parent company in 2016, Devanathan has spent seven years with Meta, helped build its Singapore and Vietnam business, and worked on its e-commerce initiatives in South East Asia.

To be invited to Silver Jubilee/ Centenary:

The chemical engineering batch 1994-98 is to celebrate its silver jubilee program in 2023. She will be invited to the celebrations.

Her batch mates are pouring wishes to her in their WhatsApp group. They are feeling proud of her achievement. Andhra University Vice-chancellor PVGD Prasad Reddy and Professors from her department said it is a proud moment for the Varsity.

As Andhra University is also celebrating centenary celebrations in December, the officials are making efforts to invite her to the campus.

The future

Sandhya will move back to India to lead the organization. She will spearhead the company's India chapter and strengthen the strategic relationships with the country's leading brands, creators, advertisers, and brands to drive Meta's revenue growth in key channels in India.

Sandhya will also be taking up projects from other Meta products like WhatsApp and Instagram Reels that are extremely popular in India. She will also take care of the new JioMart on WhatsApp project, using all her e-commerce experience to build a compelling product and sell it through the partners.

Meta chief business officer Marne Levine said they are thrilled to have her lead Meta's continued growth in India