Meta names Kunal Shah as new WhatsApp chief

San Francisco: Meta Platforms has announced a leadership transition at WhatsApp, with Kunal Shah set to take over as the head of the messaging platform following the departure of Will Cathcart from the role after seven years.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Mr. Cathcart would move to a new position within the company, where he will focus on building new products from the ground up. He praised Mr. Cathcart’s leadership, noting that WhatsApp had grown to serve more than three billion users worldwide during his tenure.

“Will’s been one of Meta’s most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a statement.

Mr. Cathcart has led WhatsApp since 2019, overseeing the platform’s expansion while maintaining its focus on end-to-end encryption and user privacy. Under his leadership, WhatsApp strengthened its position as one of the world’s most widely used messaging applications and expanded its business messaging offerings.

Meta also announced that Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech company CRED, will succeed Mr. Cathcart as the head of WhatsApp. Mr. Shah is widely recognised for building CRED into one of India’s leading technology companies.

Mr. Zuckerberg said Mr. Shah brings a “builder mentality and global perspective” that would be valuable in leading the world’s largest messaging platform.

“I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses,” he said.

The appointment marks a significant leadership change for WhatsApp as Meta continues to invest in messaging, digital payments and business communication services across global markets.