"I look forward to working with Kunal"
Will Cathcart has announced he is stepping down as head of WhatsApp after leading the messaging platform for almost seven years, with Indian fintech entrepreneur Kunal Shah set to take over the role.
Cathcart confirmed his departure in social media posts on June 22, saying WhatsApp was now in “the strongest position it’s ever been” and that it “felt like the right moment to step back”.
Despite leaving the role, he will remain within Meta’s leadership team.
During his tenure, Cathcart helped grow WhatsApp into the world’s largest messaging platform, expanding its private messaging services to more than three billion users globally.
Meta has appointed Shah, the founder of Indian fintech company CRED, as WhatsApp’s new head.
Announcing the appointment, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg praised Shah’s track record, saying he had built “one of India’s most important technology companies” through CRED.
He added that the fintech founder “brings the kind of builder mentality and global perspective that will serve him well in running the world’s biggest messaging app”.
Zuckerberg added: “I look forward to working with Kunal to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses.”
Kunal Shah founded Bengaluru-based CRED in 2018 after spending several years investing in and advising technology start-ups across India and Southeast Asia.
The company operates a members-only platform that rewards customers for making timely credit card repayments and has positioned itself as a disruptor in India’s payments sector.
In a LinkedIn post announcing his move, Shah said he would remain a shareholder in CRED while taking on his new responsibilities at WhatsApp.
He also revealed that CRED had secured £679 million in investment from Meta. According to Bloomberg, the investment gives Meta a 20% stake in the fintech firm.
Shah stressed that although Meta would become a minority investor, it would have “no access to member data”.
The leadership change comes as Meta continues to expand WhatsApp’s commercial ambitions, particularly in India, its largest market.
As part of Meta’s family of apps, which also includes Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, WhatsApp has increasingly become a focus for new revenue streams through advertising, paid subscriptions and artificial intelligence tools.
India remains central to those plans, with around 853 million WhatsApp users, according to World Population Review.
However, the platform has also faced scrutiny in the country over concerns surrounding privacy and data-sharing practices between WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta.
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