WhatsApp has officially announced the appointment of Abhijit Bose as Head of WhatsApp in India. Bose will build the first complete WhatsApp team outside California, which will be based in Gurgaon.
Bose and his team will focus on helping businesses, both large and small, connect with their customers. Earlier this year, WhatsApp launched the WhatsApp Business application for small business owners and the WhatsApp Business API to serve larger companies that interact with customers.
Today, there are more than one million users of these commercial WhatsApp products in India.
“WhatsApp is deeply committed to India and we are excited to continue developing products that help people connect and support India’s rapidly growing digital economy. As a successful entrepreneur, Abhijit knows what it takes to create meaningful partnerships that can serve businesses across India, “said Matt Idema, WhatsApp’s Chief Operating Officer.
“WhatsApp is special and can be an important partner for financial inclusion and economic growth in India. Not only is the way so many families stay in contact, but more and more companies are related to their customers. “WhatsApp can positively impact the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians, allowing them to participate actively and benefit from the new digital economy,” said Bose.
Bose joins WhatsApp from Ezetap, where he has served as co-founder and CEO. Bose graduated from the Harvard Business School and Cornell University.
Bose will join WhatsApp in early 2019.