Ajit Mohan

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Ajit Mohan
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Born1974/1975 (age 48–49)[1]
Kochi, Kerala, India
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndia
Alma mater
  • Nanyang Technological University
  • Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins University
  • Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)
EmployerMeta India
Organization
  • Internet and Mobile Association of India
  • Museum of Art & Photography

Ajit Mohan is an Indian technology executive who serves as vice president and managing director of Meta India (formerly Facebook India). Previously, he was the founding chief executive officer of Star India's streaming media platform Hotstar. Mohan was a consultant for the firms Arthur D. Little and McKinsey & Company earlier in his career, and he is a member of the Internet and Mobile Association of India and the Museum of Art & Photography, among other organizations.

Early life and education

Mohan was born in Kochi, Kerala.[2] His father completed signals intelligence work for the Indian Air Force and fought in the Sino-Indian War.[2] Mohan was raised in Eloor's Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited neighborhood. In 1993, at the age of 18, he received a scholarship and boarded his first flight to study in Singapore, where he earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in computer engineering from Nanyang Technological University.[3][4] Mohan also earned a master's degree in international relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University,[5] and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[6]

Career

Mohan's career began at the international management consulting firm Arthur D. Little in 1997. He became a consultant at McKinsey & Company in 2005.[6] According to Mint, he was based in the United States and focused on "media projects that required him to work closely with film and TV studios, production companies, children’s entertainment companies, women's apparel and footwear, and online gaming".[2] He returned to India as a fellow at McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) in 2008,[6] and worked with clients that included the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission, and the International Center for Research on Women.[2] He co-authored MGI's 2010 report "India's Urban Awakening: Building inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth", which addressed urbanization in India. Mohan also wrote The Wall Street Journal Weekend Panorama column for India Real Time regularly, as of 2011.[7][8]

In April 2012, Mohan joined the Star Network, where he held various roles including senior vice president and executive vice president. He became the head of its digital business in 2013, from where he launched the live sports platform Starsports.com and Star India's streaming media platform Hotstar in 2015,[2] and was later named chief executive officer (CEO) in April 2016.[8] According to Fortune India, Mohan "played an important role in Star India's foray into video streaming when Star Sports started to live stream the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament in 2014".[9]

In September 2018,[10] Mohan was named vice president and managing director of Facebook India,[6] where he oversaw Facebook's Indian operations starting in January 2019.[11][12] In 2020, Mohan appeared before the Parliament of India's Standing Committee on Information Technology, which was led by a member of the opposition Congress party, on behalf of Facebook India to discuss "safeguarding citizens' rights" and the "prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms".[13][14][15][16] In 2021, he was summoned by the Delhi Legislative Assembly's Peace and Harmony Committee to appear as a witness on behalf of Facebook India in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots.[17] A representative of the Assembly said Mohan was asked to lend his expertise and provide recommendations in order to prevent similar incidents fueled by social media, and no "coercive action" was intended. According to The Hindu, Mohan told the Supreme Court "that he was well within his rights to remain silent" and "[did] not wish to be part of a highly polarised political debate".[18] He "accused the Assembly of threatening him with 'breach of privilege' if he did not appear before the Committee to testify" and filed a plea,[18] which was dismissed by the Supreme Court in July.[19][20][21] Instead of Mohan, Facebook India's public policy director appeared before the Committee in November.[22]

Mohan holds the same role at Meta India,[23][24] following Facebook Inc.'s rebrand in 2021.[25]

Board service and recognition

Mohan was elected vice chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India in 2021.[26][27] He has also been chairman of the organization's Entertainment Sub Committee.[5] In 2021, Mohan became an advisory board member of the US–India Strategic Partnership Forum,[28] an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., which promotes "stronger US-India bilateral commercial and strategic ties".[29] He is also a member of the Mobile Marketing Association and the Bangalore-based Museum of Art & Photography.[30][31]

Writers for Fortune India have credited Mohan for leading Hotstar "to great success".[11] Liz Shackleton of Screen Daily credited him for helping to build the platform into "India's biggest online video service".[32] India Today ranked Mohan number 48 in a 2020 "power list" of 50 people who "[rise] above the ordinary in extraordinary times".[33] The magazine called him a "leader in the country's social media domain" and credited him for doubling Facebook India's profit.[34] In 2021, India Today included Mohan in a list of 50 "high and mighty" people, in which he was described as "arguably the czar of India's social media space".[35]

Personal life

Mohan lives in Gurgaon, Haryana.[36][37] Previously, he was based in New Delhi, as of 2011.[7] His wife Radhika Bansal is a former publisher at Harvard Business Publishing who co-founded Swishlist.in, described by Mint as an "online rental company for women's designer brands".[2] The couple have children.[2]

Mohan collects art, enjoys cricket,[2] and plays tennis.[34] He is an angel investor in the audio over-the-top media service Headfone.[38][39]

Publications

  • Shankhe, Shirish; Vittal, Ireena; Dobbs, Richard; Mohan, Ajit; Gulati, Ankur; Ablett, Jonathan; Gupta, Shirish; Kim, Alex; Paul, Sudipto; Sanghvi, Aditya; Sethy, Gurpreet (April 2010). "India's urban awakening: Building inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth" (PDF). McKinsey Global Institute.

References

  1. ↑ Thakur, Arnika; Sen, Abhik (24 May 2021). "Facebook's new game plan for India". Fortune India. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Sharma, Sanjukta (27 July 2018). "Ajit Mohan: Streaming success". Mint. HT Media. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Ameerudheen, TA (30 September 2019). "Up close with Facebook's India head Ajit Mohan: 'Gender equality crucial in a sustainable internet economy'". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Bharari, Sakshi (22 February 2022). "Ajit Mohan explains why India is such a significant market for Meta in 2022". Business Outreach. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sunny, Ken (25 September 2018). "Who is Ajit Mohan? All you need to know about Facebook India's new chief". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Who is Ajit Mohan, the new Facebook India head". Business Today. Living Media. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rana, Preetika; Mohan, Ajit (10 September 2011). "Weekend Panorama: Who Will Champion India's Cities?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan Named New Facebook India Managing Director". The Quint. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ajit Mohan to head Facebook in India". Fortune India. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Thakur, Arnika (21 November 2018). "WhatsApp appoints Ezetap's Abhijit Bose as India head". Fortune India. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Thakur, Arnika; Sen, Abhik (1 April 2020). "What's in the stars for Facebook?". Fortune India. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Datta, Aveek (26 September 2018). "Why Facebook is 'feeling optimistic' with Ajit Mohan". Fortune India. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Purnell, Newley; Roy, Rajesh (September 3, 2020). "Facebook, Under Pressure in India, Bans Politician for Hate Speech". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ Variyar, Mugdha (2 September 2020). "Parliamentary Committee questions Facebook India MD Ajit Mohan on social media misuse". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  15. ↑ Mehrotra, Karishma (3 September 2020). "Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan appears before House panel, faces many questions". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. OCLC 70274541. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "Facebook's India head Ajit Mohan deposes before Parliamentary panel". Business Standard. ABP Group. 16 December 2020. OCLC 496280002. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  17. ↑ Khanna, Pretika (12 September 2020). "Delhi assembly panel summons Facebook India MD Ajit Mohan over inaction to filter content". Mint. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "I can't be forced to appear before House panel: Facebook official Ajit Mohan". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. 21 January 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. OCLC 13119119. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Delhi riots: SC dismisses Facebook India MD Ajit Mohan's plea against summons by Assembly panel". The New Indian Express. 8 July 2021. OCLC 243883379. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "SC: Won't quash summons to Facebook India VP Ajit Mohan". The Tribune. 9 July 2021. OCLC 36205400. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "Delhi riots: SC dismisses FB India VP Ajit Mohan's plea against summons by Delhi panel". The Telegraph. ABP Group. 8 July 2021. OCLC 271717941. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "2020 Delhi riots: House panel grills Facebook on its 'hate speech' guidelines for India". The Indian Express. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Mandavia, Megha (9 January 2022). "Nagpur to New York dream possible because of new features: Meta India's Ajit Mohan". The Economic Times. The Times Group. ISSN 0013-0389. OCLC 61311680. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  24. ↑ Sarkar, Gargi (22 February 2022). "Ajit Mohan defines Meta India's key focus in 2022; and why is it an important market". The Financial Express. Indian Express Limited. OCLC 30000665. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "After rebranding of Facebook, Ajit Mohan will be MD of Meta India". Business Line. The Hindu Group. 1 November 2021. ISSN 0971-7528. OCLC 456162874. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "IAMAI elects Google India MD as its new chairman". The Times of India. The Times Group. 24 June 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. OCLC 23379369. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "IAMAI appoints Google India MD Sanjay Gupta as chairman". Mint. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  28. ↑ "India Advisory Board". US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  29. ↑ "US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Announces Additions to Its Global Board of Directors". Network18 Group. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  30. ↑ "Ajit Mohan". Mobile Marketing Association. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ajit Mohan". Museum of Art & Photography. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  32. ↑ Shackleton, Liz (24 September 2018). "Facebook India hires former Hotstar chief Ajit Mohan". Screen Daily. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  33. ↑ "2020: The Challengers : Full Power List". India Today. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Social Leader". India Today. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "Ajit Mohan: Shaper of opinions". India Today. Living Media. 22 October 2021. ISSN 0254-8399. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  36. ↑ Kohli-Khandekar, Vanita (10 July 2020). "Ajit Mohan on Facebook's transformation into a more India-centric platform". Business Standard. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  37. ↑ "Hate content crisis is Facebook India chief's biggest leadership test yet". Business Standard. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  38. ↑ Rekhi, Dia (20 April 2022). "Audio OTT platform Headfone raises $10 million in funding led by Elevation Capital". The Economic Times. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  39. ↑ Anand, Aishwarya (19 April 2022). "Funding Rundown: CoinDCX bags $135 mn+ at $2.15 bn valuation; Recur Club gets $30 mn in seed round; Loop raises $25 mn; Anushka Sharma invests in Wholsum Foods & Headfone secures $10 mn in Series B round". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 10 May 2022.

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