Facebook's Managing Director in India Steps Down

By Deepa Seetharaman 

A Facebook Inc. executive in India said Friday that she would step down, just days after a government regulator banned a key Facebook initiative in the country.

Kirthiga Reddy, Facebook's managing director in India, said in a Facebook post that she would help search for her successor and that it would be "business as-usual over the next 6-12 months."

Ms. Reddy said she is moving to the U.S. to enroll her daughters in school and is exploring "new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park."

India is home to 130 million Facebook users, second only to the U.S. In her role, Ms. Reddy worked with advertisers around the world who wanted to reach Facebook users in India.

Monday, Indian regulators banned the company's Free Basics service, which offered free access to a limited basket of apps and sites, including Facebook. A Facebook spokeswoman said Ms. Reddy wasn't involved in the company's Free Basics efforts.

"As she had planned for some time, Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to the U.S. to work with the teams in headquarters," the spokeswoman said. "We are extremely proud of the work she has done to grow our global sales business in India."

Write to Deepa Seetharaman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 12, 2016 15:19 ET (20:19 GMT)

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