Facebook India's managing director Kirthiga Reddy announced on Friday she was stepping down and joining Facebook's headquarters in the US within a year. Reddy, along with William Easton, Managing Director of Emerging Markets (APAC), and Dan Neary, VP Asia Pacific, are in search of a successor to fill the void.
Reddy, who joined Facebook in 2010 as its first employee in India, said her role in the company would continue as normal over the next 6-12 months. She also shared enthusiasm over Facebook's business development in India in her Facebook post on Friday.
"I could not be more excited about where the Facebook business is in India, where we are going and what's to come," Reddy wrote. "Over the last six years, starting as the first employee for Facebook in India, I have had the privilege to be part of our amazing growth journey — from our operations in Hyderabad to being a business partner for our clients as they build their brands and grow their business in this mobile-first world."
Reddy made no mention of Free Basics in her post on Facebook, but a company spokesperson declined her involvement in the initiative.
"As she had planned for some time, Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to the US to work with the teams in headquarters," the spokesperson told Reuters. "During her time in India, Kirthiga was not involved in our Free Basic Services efforts."
The announcement comes just a day after Facebook decided to shut down its controversial Free Basics in the country. Earlier this week, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had ruled against the initiative, formerly known as Internet.org, which granted free access to select web services.
