Ajit Mohan

Ajit Mohan
Ajit Mohan
Born	Kochi, Kerala, India
Occupation	Technology executive
Years active	1997–present
Known for	Chief Business Officer at Snap Inc., former CEO of Disney+ Hotstar, former Vice President and Managing Director of Meta India
Spouse	Radhika Bansal

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Ajit Mohan, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 2025

Ajit Mohan is a prominent Indian technology leader currently holding the position of Chief Business Officer at Snap Inc.. Before this, he led Snap's Asia-Pacific division as President, where he was instrumental in significantly growing the company's footprint and commercial success throughout the region. Mohan has also held the role of vice president and managing director at Meta India (previously Facebook India) and served as CEO of Star India's streaming service Disney+ Hotstar. Earlier in his professional journey, he worked as a consultant with Arthur D. Little and McKinsey & Company. His affiliations include membership with the Internet and Mobile Association of India and involvement with the Museum of Art & Photography, among other institutions.

Early life and education

Born in Kochi, Kerala, Mohan’s father was engaged in signals intelligence for the Indian Air Force during the Sino-Indian War. Raised near Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited in Eloor, Mohan secured a scholarship at age 18 to pursue studies in Singapore, where he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science degree specializing in computer engineering at Nanyang Technological University. He further advanced his education by earning a master's degree in international relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, as well as an Master of Business Administration with a focus on finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Mohan initiated his professional career at Arthur D. Little, a global management consulting firm, in 1997 before joining McKinsey & Company as a consultant in 2005. While based in the United States, his work concentrated on media sector clients including film and television studios, production houses, children’s content providers, women’s fashion and footwear brands, along with online gaming enterprises. Returning to India in 2008 as a McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) fellow, he collaborated with organizations such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Planning Commission, and International Center for Research on Women. He co-authored MGI’s 2010 publication "India's Urban Awakening," which focused on urban development trends within India. Additionally, Mohan contributed regularly to The Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Panorama column for India Real Time.

In April 2012, Mohan joined Star Network in leadership capacities and was appointed head of its digital division in 2013. He spearheaded the launch of Starsports.com, a live sports streaming platform, followed by Star India's streaming service Hotstar in 2015. He ascended to CEO of Hotstar in April 2016. Fortune India credits him with playing a pivotal part in Star India's entry into video streaming when Star Sports live-streamed the ICC World Twenty20 cricket event in 2014.

In September 2018, Mohan was named vice president and managing director of Facebook India, officially overseeing operations starting January 2019. During 2020, he appeared before India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology to address issues related to protecting citizens’ rights and curbing social media misuse. In 2021, he was summoned by the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Peace and Harmony Committee concerning the 2020 Delhi riots but chose not to attend citing his rights; subsequently, the Supreme Court rejected his petition against this summons.

After Facebook Inc.’s rebranding to Meta Platforms in 2021, Mohan retained his role as vice president and managing director at Meta India. He resigned from this position in November 2022 to join competitor Snap Inc., with Sandhya Devanathan taking over as head of Meta India starting January 2023.

Board membership and accolades

In 2021, Mohan was chosen as vice chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India. He has also led the organization's Entertainment Sub Committee. That same year, Mohan became a member of the advisory board for the US–India Strategic Partnership Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based entity focused on enhancing commercial and strategic relations between the US and India. Additionally, he holds memberships with the Mobile Marketing Association and the Museum of Art & Photography located in Bangalore.

Fortune India acknowledged Mohan's leadership in driving Hotstar to significant achievements, while Liz Shackleton from Screen Daily praised his efforts in establishing it as "India's largest online video platform." In 2020, India Today placed him 48th on its power list featuring 50 influential personalities, emphasizing his contribution to doubling Facebook India's earnings and describing him as a "prominent figure in the nation's social media sector." The following year, the publication included Mohan among 50 notable leaders, referring to him as "arguably the czar of India's social media space."

Personal details

Mohan currently lives in Singapore, having previously been based in New Delhi as of 2011. His spouse, Radhika Bansal, formerly worked as a publisher at Harvard Business Publishing and co-founded Swishlist.in, an online rental platform specializing in women's designer brands. The couple are parents.

His interests include art collection, cricket, and tennis. Mohan is also an angel investor in Headfone, an audio over-the-top media service.

Publications

External links

Ajit Mohan profile at Fortune India