Top Indian-origin executive to head Workplace by Facebook

Facebook has elevated its senior Indian-origin executive Karandeep Anand to head Workplace, the company’s two-year-old enterprise communication tool.

Anand, who was earlier Head of Product for Facebook Marketplace and Payments services, would handle the Workplace product team and report to Julien Codorniou who is its Vice President.

“I’m excited to now be part of the journey of bringing Workplace to companies across the globe and help them unlock the potential of their biggest asset — people,” Anand wrote on his LinkedIn profile late on Tuesday.

Facebook launched Workplace in 2016 to help make companies more connected and productive.

Currently, more than 30,000 organisations are using Workplace worldwide — including Walmart, Heineken, Spotify, Lyft and the Reliance Group.

“We’re thrilled that Karandeep is joining Workplace as its new head of Workplace, effectively immediately,” a Facebook spokeswoman told CNBC.

“A company’s culture is leading indicator of its success and the productivity of its work force. Workplace brings the power of shaping culture by connecting people at work in ways never imagined before,” Anand wrote.

Before joining Facebook, Anand spend 15 years at Microsoft in various key roles.

Facebook in 2017 launched the desktop version of its Workplace Chat app that can be downloaded by anyone on PC, Mac, Android or iOS.

Workplace Chat includes video chat with a co-worker or group, screen sharing and file sharing.

“Workplace is one of the fastest growing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product and a key growth area for Facebook,” said Anand.

As Head of Product for Marketplace and Payments tools, Anand’s team was responsible for powering commerce across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.