MPW Debutantes: Meta’s Sandhya Devanathan bets big on gaming to fuel India’s next wave of digital growth

Sandhya Devanathan is making a major push this year into expanding the gaming market in India. Through Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, she is focussed on supporting the entire gaming ecosystem, including developers, creators, brands, and start-ups.

“India is a key part of Meta’s global gaming strategy, and we’re committed to fostering innovation and growth within the developer community here. We want to empower the gaming ecosystem in India by offering platforms and tools like Facebook Gaming and Instagram, where creators can not only engage with their communities but also monetise their content effectively,” says Devanathan, who is also a board observer for Jio Platforms.

A graduate of the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, she started her career with Citibank in 2000 with roles in strategy, product and portfolio management in India, the Philippines, and the US. She then led the retail banking and payments product group as MD at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. In 2016, she joined Meta and helped expand the company’s presence in Singapore and Vietnam, leading its e-commerce initiatives in Southeast Asia.

In 2020, she moved to lead Meta’s gaming business in the Asia-Pacific region. With all these achievements under her hat, she debuts on BT’s MPW list this year.

A passionate advocate for women in business, Devanathan actively supports gender diversity and inclusion as the executive sponsor for Women@APAC at Meta alongside various other initiatives she’s spearheaded over the course of her career. She also serves on the global board of US-India Business Council (USIBC) and the National Library Board in Singapore. Devanathan also takes active interest in industry associations. She serves as co-chair of both the FICCI National Committee on Media & Entertainment and CII’s National Committee on IT and ITeS.

With 50% of India’s population below the age of 25, the country offers a big opportunity for Meta and Devanathan will seek to ensure it makes the most of it.  

@Riddhima765