In a first, Facebook has set up a six-member board in India that will be treated on par with the board at the company's Menlo Park headquarters in the United States, LiveMint reported.
This is a significant development as the India board will be the first of its kind for Facebook outside the US.
This local office is supposed to report directly to Menlo Park and will not be a part of its Asia Pacific operations.
The elevation of the Indian office's status is being attributed to the growing importance of India as well as a reaction to the tightening regulations on foreign internet companies in India due to the spread of fake news on social media platforms.
“The changes mark a significant step, reinforcing Facebook’s commitment to India and will enable more local accountability, faster and efficient decision-making, and closer connection with the headquarters.”A source to LiveMint
Meet the Members of the New Board
- Ajit Mohan – vice president and managing director
- Sandeep Bhushan – director and head of global marketing solutions
- Ankhi Das – policy director
- Prashanth Aluru – strategy and operations director
- Manish Chopra – director of partnerships
- Amrit Ahuja – director of communications.
India has the highest Facebook user base outside of the US. With the Lok Sabha elections approaching, Facebook will have to act strongly in order to prevent manipulation of elections.
(With inputs from LiveMint.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)