Meta Appoints Arun Srinivas as Managing Director and Head of India Operations

Meta Platforms announced on Monday that Arun Srinivas has been appointed managing director and head of Meta in India.

This follows the resignation of Shivnath Thukral, Meta’s vice‑president and head of public policy in India, and the expansion of Sandhya Devanathan’s role as India vice‑president, who now also oversees Meta’s South‑East Asia operations.

Srinivas has been director and head of Meta India’s advertising business since 2022. He will assume his new role on 1 July 2025 and will continue to report to Sandhya Devanathan.

Meta stated that Srinivas’s position will drive the company’s business, innovation and revenue growth in India.

“As part of his expanded role, Srinivas will focus on bringing the organisation’s business, innovation and revenue priorities together to serve partners and clients, while continuing to support the long‑term growth of Meta’s business and commitment to India,” Meta’s statement read.

Srinivas will lead Meta’s India operations and strengthen collaborations with brands, advertisers, developers and partners to foster market growth in the country.

Srinivas’ Work History

Srinivas previously served as Ola’s chief operating officer and global chief marketing officer, resigning in 2020 after a year in the role. Before joining Ola, Srinivas, a former Unilever vice‑president, worked at private‑equity firm WestBridge Capital, leading investments in the consumer sector.

His appointment comes amid tensions between Meta and Indian regulators over alleged anti‑competitive practices. In November 2024 the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Meta for antitrust violations and prohibited WhatsApp from sharing user data with other Meta‑owned programmes for advertising purposes for five years.

Meta challenged the CCI’s order, warning of adverse impacts on its business. Earlier this year an Indian tribunal temporarily lifted the five‑year data‑sharing ban on WhatsApp.

Shivnath Thukral Resigns

Shivnath Thukral, Meta’s vice‑president of public policy in India, has resigned.

In a LinkedIn post Thukral wrote: “After a very satisfying and enriching journey of more than 7.5 years I have decided to step down from Meta as the VP of India Public Policy at the end of this month.”

He said he intends to focus on running, health and family and plans to return to a new role soon.

“I will be back soon. One should never stop learning, so I will update on the next move, which will help me learn more and do new and different things. Who knows, maybe help to take India to the world!” Thukral’s post added.