Sandhya Devanathan is an Indian technology executive who is the current Vice President and Managing Director of Meta India, a role held since January 2023.[1][2]
Sandhya Devanathan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 (age 46–47) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater |
|
| Employer | Meta India |
Education
editDevanathan did her undergraduate study at Andhra University, and graduated with an MBA from the FMS University in Delhi.[3][4]
Career
editAfter finishing her MBA, Devanathan worked at Citibank.[5] In December 2009, she moved to Singapore to work at Standard Chartered.[6]
In January 2016, Devanathan moved to Meta as the Group Director of South East Asia of Ecommerce, Travel, and Finserv. In August 2016, Devanathan made a shift within the company to a newly created role of Country Managing Director of Facebook Singapore.[7] On top of that, in 2018 she additionally took on the role of Business Head of Vietnam.[8] During her nearly five years' tenure, she led Facebook Singapore under the supervision of Kenneth Bishop, who moved to Juul in 2020. In April 2020, Devanathan became the new Vice President of Gaming in the Asia Pacific region.[9][10]
While in this role, during an interview with CNBC, Devanathan said that a large part of the female gaming market was being overlooked, therefore profits were a fraction of what they could be. She said, "Women now comprise nearly half of the gaming industry and games need to reflect that growing diversity." She also added, "The gaming industry should reflect the growing diversity of its demographics if it wants to succeed."[11]
In November 2022, amid mass layoffs of over 11,000 employees, she took up the vacant position of Vice President of Meta India, which had been previously left vacant by Ajit Mohan.[12][13][14] Other senior staff leaving the company included the former WhatsApp Head for India, Abhijit Bose.[15]
In 2023 and 2024, Fortune India put Devanathan on their list of India’s most powerful women. In 2023, Devanathan was placed at number 47. [16] In 2024, Devanathan was placed at number 27.
In 2024, Devanathan was placed as the 95th Most Powerful Woman in Asia by Fortune Asia.[17]
In 2023, Devanathan announced Meta's partnership with ONDC, aimed at democratizing commerce for the greater majority of Indians.[18]
In 2024, Devanathan was honored in her hometown of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, by the Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).[19]
Philanthropy
editIn 2013, Devanathan became a mentor for UN Women on Project Inspire.[20] She was a Board Member of the National Library Board.[21] Within Meta, she has served as the Coach of the Leap Leadership Program for Women in FB (Meta) since January 2018. She is also on the Global Diversity Equity Council within Meta, and is the current Executive Sponsor for Women in APAC region.[22]
References
edit- ^ "Meta appoints Sandhya Devanathan as India head". The Hindu. PTI. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Who is Sandhya Devanathan, Meta's new India head?". Firstpost. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Sumit (2022-11-18). "Meta India head Sandhya Devanathan is an alumna of Andhra University in Visakahpatnam". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ Mehta, Tanvi (2022-11-17). Sarkar, Himani (ed.). "Meta Platforms appoints Sandhya Devanathan as India head". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ Saroha, Sakshi (18 November 2022). "Andhra University, DU, Oxford — Know about Meta India head Sandhya Devanathan's alma mater". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Meta India gets new head: All you need to know about Sandhya Devanathan". Hindustan Times. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ Teng, Angela (March 19, 2017). "'Ability to adapt to new roles key to survival in new economy'". Today. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Who is Sandhya Devanathan, the newly appointed Head and Vice President of Meta India?". The Free Press Journal. November 17, 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Joined Meta in 2016, now heading its India unit: Meet Sandhya Devanathan, new Meta India chief". Times Now. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Meta Appoints Sandhya Devanathan as India Head". Sakshi Post. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Toh, Ee Ming (8 March 2022). "Diversity in the gaming industry is an 'economic imperative,' says Meta executive". CNBC. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Agarwal, Mehak (17 November 2022). "Meta appoints Sandhya Devanathan as India Vice President amid massive layoffs". Business Today. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Sandhya Devanathan to replace Ajit Mohan as Meta's India head". ANI News. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "Meta India: फेसबुक की पैरेंट कंपनी मेटा ने गेंमिग दिग्गज संध्या देवनाथन को बनाया इंडिया हेड" [Meta India: Facebook's parent company Meta appoints Sandhya Devnathan as India head]. ABP News (in Hindi). 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "Sandhya Devanathan will take over as Head and Vice President of Meta India". The Indian Express. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ Mishra, -Urvashi. "Sandhya Devanathan - Most Powerful Women in 2023 - Fortune India". www.fortuneindia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Sandhya Devanathan | 2024 Most Powerful Women Asia". Fortune Asia. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "Sandhya Devanathan Of Meta India On India's Digital Transformation Story And ONDC Partnership". Business Today. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ "VCCI conducts 4th awards night". The Times of India. 2024-06-24. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ Majumder, Trisha (18 November 2022). "Who Is Sandhya Devanathan? Meta's Head And VP Of India". SheThePeople. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Atreyee (17 November 2022). "Who Is Sandhya Devanathan? Meta's New India Head". BQ Prime. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Chaturvedi, Amit (November 17, 2022). "Sandhya Devanathan Is Meta's New India Head: 5 Points To Know". NDTV. Retrieved 16 June 2023.