Meta’s Sandhya Devanathan to lead Southeast Asia after driving India growth

Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s vice president for India, a role she assumed in November 2022, now also leads the company’s Southeast Asia operations. In India, Meta’s largest market with over one billion monthly users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, she manages expansion and strategy.Her new Southeast Asia responsibilities cover countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, which have thriving digital economies and millions of Meta app users. Since taking charge in India, Devanathan has shaped Meta’s approach, aligning it with global goals in generative AI, the metaverse, Threads, monetization, platform safety, and infrastructure.
India is a key testing ground for Meta’s innovations, with products like Instagram Reels (launched in India in 2020), Meta AI (highest usage in India), and WhatsApp Flows (announced for India in 2023) debuting there before global rollout. She has also driven Meta’s growth in Singapore, Vietnam, and Southeast Asian e-commerce.
Background and ExperienceDevanathan joined Meta in 2016, with over 22 years of experience in banking, payments, and technology. Before leading Meta India, she managed the company’s gaming business in the Asia-Pacific region, a major global segment.

Previously, she worked at Standard Chartered Bank and Citi, building expertise in finance and tech. She also serves on the board of Pepper Financial Services, a financial services company. Her role as Meta India’s vice president began two weeks after Ajit Mohan’s departure in 2022.Advocacy and Leadership

Devanathan supports gender diversity and inclusion, promoting initiatives for women in leadership at Meta and in the tech industry.

Impact and Context

India is vital to Meta’s global strategy, both as its largest user base and an innovation hub. Devanathan’s leadership has deepened Meta’s collaboration with developers, startups, and businesses to support their goals.

Her expanded Southeast Asia role aligns with Meta’s Asia-Pacific leadership changes, as Dan Neary exits after 12 years, with Benjamin Joe becoming regional vice president in July. In a May 15 LinkedIn post, Neary called Devanathan and Joe “strong leaders” capable of driving growth.

Devanathan thanked Neary for his leadership, saying, “I am thankful to Dan Neary for his leadership in steering Asia Pacific business and confident that going ahead, we will continue to drive growth and innovation for our valued partners along with Ben.”