Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has appointed Kunal Shah as the new chief of the messaging app. Shah, who previously founded Indian fintech giant CRED, will take over from Will Cathcart, who has led WhatsApp since 2019. Cathcart will move to a new product-building role at Meta.
As part of the transition, Miten Sampat, who has overseen strategy and finance at CRED since 2020, will take over as interim chief executive of the fintech company. Shah will retain his shareholding in CRED after stepping away from day-to-day operations.
The move comes as Meta seeks to expand WhatsApp's business beyond messaging, particularly in areas such as payments, commerce, and business communications. India, WhatsApp's largest market with over 500 million users, has been central to these efforts.
Meta's investment in CRED, a £900 million financing round, will make the company a minority investor in the fintech. The deal will support CRED's growth across its payments, lending, insurance, and wealth businesses.
Shah's experience in building a consumer internet company in India is seen as crucial in unlocking WhatsApp's next phase of growth. His appointment comes as WhatsApp seeks to push into digital payments, an area where the service has delivered mixed results.