Snapchat has strengthened its leadership team in India, with strategic appointments across Content, Partnerships, Augmented Reality, Growth, and Sales.
The company said that with these hires, Snap has doubled the size of its India team since last year to serve the growing community of Indian Snapchatters and underscore Snapchat’s substantial and long-term commitment to the region.
Joining the Snap team as the Director – Content, Partnerships & Augmented Reality is Saket Jha Saurabh. With over two decades of leadership at the forefront of digital media, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of content creation and distribution.
Previously, he led Meta’s partnership with Creators, Public Figures, Media Companies, he was CEO at #fame, a creator venture. Jha set up the digital media business for Bloomberg, marketed media brands CNBC & ‘Aaj Tak’ and managed Corporate Development at India Today and Network18, and handled Coca-Cola at Leo Burnett.
He will also be leading the charge of building Snap’s AR creator ecosystem where creators, developers are tapping into Snap’s community engagement and excitement about augmented reality today and its vast potential for the future.
Driving revenue growth through strategic relationships are Amit Ojha – India Agency Lead, Neha Jolly Sawhney – India Sales Head and Yagnesh Ravi – Ads Solutions Lead.
Ojha comes with over two decades of industry experience in brands like Amazon and Meta. Meanwhile, Jolly has a background in sales strategy and management spanning over two decades. Prior to her new role, she was leading the digital innovation sales practice at Amazon Web Services (AWS), following tenures at Concentrix and IBM India.
Ravi has over a decade of expertise in digital advertising, including more than five years at Meta, and has helped businesses build ad campaigns that deliver impact and business results.
Leading Snap’s efforts to build trust with the Government of India, is Uthara Ganesh, Head of Public Policy for India and South Asia. Prior to this role, Ganesh led Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) and Amazon’s public policy efforts. She also served as Public Policy Lead to Rajeev Chandrasekhar from 2014 to 2017 and as a LAMP Fellow in 2010-11.
Rashmi Dastidar, Head of Integrity and Compliance for APAC and EMEA brings 17 years of risk and compliance experience with time at WhatsApp (Meta), Deloitte, International SOS and Control Risks, enhancing Snap’s risk and compliance practices across the region.
Lekshmi Geetha, Head of People for India, has extensive experience from her roles at Netflix and Disney, focusing on driving organisational success through effective people management. Poonam Nikam, Head Communications for India, Singapore & Japan, has spent over fifteen years developing integrated communications strategies for TikTok, Sony Music, and Bharti Airtel, significantly boosting brand visibility and stakeholder engagement.
Chirag Kohli has been onboarded as the Head of Growth. With a decade’s experience at Amazon, he will focus on intensifying user acquisition, engagement, and revenue expansion efforts.
Playing a crucial role in shaping Snapchat’s future in India, these leaders will continue to redefine the digital experience for millions of users nationwide. With a unique appeal that resonates deeply with the Indian youth, Snapchat has achieved growth of 200 million users in a short period of time and amidst fierce competition, the company stated.
Discussing the expansion of Snap’s team in India, Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director Snap Inc. – India said, “Snapchat’s unique appeal to Gen Z lies in its authentic engagement with real friends and family. This appeal has fueled our rapid growth in India demonstrating our strong resonance. India presents a unique & large opportunity for us to invest & grow. With this leadership team in India we are committed to serving our community, building value for advertisers, creators and AR developers and contributing to India’s digital adoption.”
