Meta India’s public policy head Shivnath Thukral steps down

Meta India’s public policy head Shivnath Thukral is stepping down from his role to “pursue new opportunities”, US-based tech giant said on Wednesday.

In a statement to IANS, Kevin Martin, VP, Head of Global Policy, Meta, said as a member of the India leadership team, “he (Thukral) played a key role in navigating and shaping policy and regulatory conversations and engagements that were critical for the industry and Meta in India over the last 7.5 years”.

“We thank him for his leadership and contributions, and wish him well in his future endeavours,” Martin added.

Thukral joined Meta (then called Facebook) in 2017 and served in multiple policy roles. He was appointed director of public policy for Meta India in November 2022, following the exit of Rajiv Aggarwal.

Prior to that, Thukral served as director of public policy at WhatsApp India for about four years. He was elevated as Meta’s vice-president for public policy in March 2024.

“It is not an easy decision to make but I feel very confident that our policy engagement with stakeholders is at a credible and constructive juncture and we can only build further on that,” Thukral said in a LinkedIn post.

“There is always more to do and I know the team is well equipped to navigate the waters well. Having helped build some of the systems and processes, I do feel it is a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own,” he added.
He will step down from Meta as the VP of India Public Policy at the end of this month.

“I do feel it is a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own. As my next journey begins, I want to recognise the work of my team which is the best in business and one of the reasons why this is such a difficult decision for me. I love their hunger and eagerness to keep me on my toes,” said Thukral.