Who is Will Cathcart? Meet the outgoing WhatsApp chief and what’s next for him

Indian fintech startup CRED founder Kunal Shah is set to become the new head of WhatsApp, according to an announcement made on Monday by current chief Will Cathcart on X. The development follows CRED's announcement that it will raise around $900 million from Meta.

In a Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, said, “Will Cathcart just announced that he's stepping down as the head of WhatsApp after 7 years leading the app. Will's been one of Meta's most important and effective leaders, helping to bring WhatsApp to over 3 billion people and championing privacy for our community. I'm super grateful for his partnership and contributions over these years.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Cathcart earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University before joining Google as a product manager in 2006. He moved to Meta in 2010, rising to the role of Vice President of Product Management. In March 2019, he was appointed head of WhatsApp, a position he has held ever since.

In a social media post, Cathcart said WhatsApp is in the strongest position it's ever been. "That felt like the right moment to step back. I'm very excited to see what Kunal and our amazing team continue to build," he wrote.

As head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart oversaw the platform’s most transformative phase, expanding end-to-end encrypted messaging to more than three billion users worldwide, including over 100 million in the United States. Under his leadership, private and secure communication became the default experience for a significant share of the global population.

He also transformed WhatsApp into a multi-billion-dollar business and broadened its functionality beyond one-to-one messaging. Under his leadership, the platform introduced features such as Communities, designed to help groups better organise conversations, and Channels, which allow users to follow people and organisations that matter most to them.

Will is transitioning to a new role within Meta where he'll build new products from the ground-up -- I'm excited to continue to work together closely, Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg said he looks forward to working with Shah to continue to make WhatsApp the best service for billions of people and millions of businesses.

The move assumes significance as India is WhatsApp's largest country and one of its most advanced markets for business messaging and payments, both of which remain central to the popular messaging app's strategy.

Kunal Shah is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and fintech leader best known for founding CRED, a platform aimed at promoting financial progress among creditworthy Indians. The company has grown to serve around 17 million monthly active users. Before CRED, Shah founded FreeCharge, which helped pioneer digital payments in India more than a decade ago.

Beyond building startups, Shah has played a significant role in India's startup and financial services ecosystem through angel investments, advisory roles, and participation in key industry bodies. Widely regarded as one of the country's most active angel investors, he has backed more than 250 startups, including several unicorns, while also mentoring hundreds of entrepreneurs.

Chris Cox, Meta's Chief Product Officer, had approached Shah directly while looking for a leader who grasps the global product opportunity for WhatsApp and can represent the needs of the people who rely on it every single day, Meta said.

Recently, WhatsApp introduced new private AI features that bring the benefits of AI to people without compromising the privacy of their messages. Cathcart has been a steadfast champion of privacy, defending people's right to a private conversation around the world, standing up to governments seeking backdoors, defeating attempts by spyware companies to attack users, and taking NSO Group to court and winning, Meta said.

Mausam Jha is a journalist who focuses on world affairs and politics. She provides clear, informative reporting with a good understanding of both global events and their local impact. <br><br> Her clear, accessible reporting on political and international issues makes her a trusted source of news and analysis. <br><br> For the past three years, Mausam has worked with Mint, covering national politics, IR—including elections—and global affairs.<br> Before joining her current role, she gained experience working with The Statesman, ANI, and Financial Express, where she honed her skills in political and international news. <br><br> She has consistently tracked key electoral battles, including US elections, Japan elections, policy debates, and strategic affairs, explaining how global currents, from great power competition to regional conflicts <br><br> Beyond journalism, Mausam has a deep engagement with international relations, diplomacy, war studies, terrorism, political history, and political theory. She is particularly interested in the intersection of statecraft and society on how governance, ideology, and institutions shape lived realities, and how politics shape today's world order. <br><br> An avid reader of classical literature and political thought, she constantly explores the connections between historical ideas and contemporary policy challenges.

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