MUMBAI: Facebook owned mobile messenger application WhatsApp has appointed Abhijit Bose as head of India operations, the company confirmed in a statement.

Bose will join WhatsApp in early 2019. He will be building WhatsApp’s first full country team outside of California and will be based in Gurgaon.

Before this, he was the co-founder and CEO of electronic payments company Ezetap. Bose is also a graduate from Harvard Business School and Cornell University.

The release stated, “Bose and his team will focus on helping businesses, both large and small connect with their customers.”

Whatsapp COO Matt Idema said, “WhatsApp is deeply committed to India and we are excited to keep building products that help people connect and support India's fast-growing digital economy. As a successful entrepreneur himself, Abhijit knows what it takes to build meaningful partnerships that can serve businesses across India”.

To his appointment, Bose said, “WhatsApp is special and can be a major partner for financial inclusion and economic growth in India”.