Facebook launches APAC’s first SME Council in India
In a bid to get more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on the platform, Facebook has launched the first SME India Council in Asia Pacific. The new council is a group of 12 small business owners from different geographies and with varied business objectives and goals. The group will meet throughout the year to share feedback, discuss new ideas and work with Facebook to build better ads solutions.
In a Townhall Q&A in India in October 2015, Mark Zuckerberg had highlighted the importance of the Indian market, as the country has 138 million users in India.
More than 1.99 billion interactions have been made between people and the two million small businesses with Facebook Pages in India. Of the 138 million people on Facebook in India (90 per cent on mobile), more than half of them are connected to at least one small business in the country. “Small businesses are the backbone of India’s economy. From Kirana stores to restaurants and online clothing sites, these businesses drive economic growth, create new jobs and enrich the lives of people across the country. At Facebook, we are focussed on helping people connect, including giving people access to the Internet, and on helping businesses grow.” the company said in an official statement.
“Mobility is the future of India. We are excited about the tremendous opportunities it creates for people and businesses and are invested for the long-term. The SME India Council is an open forum for local businesses to share feedback with our teams so we can align and continue to develop impactful solutions to grow their business,” shares Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director of Facebook India.
The members of the SME India Council include Amruta Walvekar – Director, Wrapistry; Anaka Narayanan – Director, Brass Tacks; Anitha Nayak – Founder, Floured; Gautam Ivatury – Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, MeraDoctor; Hema Balakrishnan – Founder, Color D Earth; Kalpana Rajesh – Director, Pelli Poola Jada; Maya Chandrasekaran – Chief of Talent, Babajob.com; Nivedha Charles – Founder, Pigtails and Ponys; Nivedita Mummadi – Co-founder, Dirty Feet; R Balakrishnan – Co-founder and Director, GIO Adventures; Sarvesh Agrawal – Founder and CEO, Internshala and Vivek Iyer – Co-founder, English Dost.
“The SME India Council will help our teams understand specific needs and build solutions to help all Indian businesses connect with the right people and grow,” said Rahul Desai, India SME Director, Facebook.
The post Facebook launches APAC’s first SME Council in India appeared first on Digital Market Asia.
