Cred Founder Kunal Shah is WhatsApp’s New Chief

Meta has appointed Cred founder Kunal Shah as the next WhatsApp head. Shah will succeed Will Cathcart, who has led the app since 2019.

According to Meta, Chris Cox, Meta’s Chief Product Officer, approached Kunal directly while looking for a leader who grasps the global product opportunity for WhatsApp and can represent the needs of the people who rely on it every single day.

“Kunal Shah will join Meta as WhatsApp’s next leader. Kunal built CRED into one of India’s most important technology companies, and he brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app. I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses,” Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta in a statement.

“While it’s come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive. I look forward to working with Mark, Chris, and the leadership across Meta for the next step in WhatsApp’s journey,” Shah added.

For the uninitiated, Shah founded CRED in 2018. The fintech platform is said to have 17 million monthly active users. Shah had previously founded online payments company FreeCharge. Shah has made investments in over 250 startups including leading unicorns and actively mentors hundreds of founders.

He has been an advisor to Peak XV (earlier Sequoia Capital India), Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd [publisher of The Times of India and the Economic Times] and was on the board of Pine Labs [a large Indian fintech]. Kunal has also served as chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India, the apex body for Indian internet companies.