Google India MD Rajan Anandan named IAMAI chairman; Facebook's Kirthiga Reddy appointed vice-chairman

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has named Google India's managing director Rajan Anandan as its new chairman while Kirthiga Reddy, head of office at Facebook India and director of online operations, will be the new vice-chairman. IAMAI is the industry body, representing the interests of online and mobile VAS industries in the country.

Anandan will take over from Hitesh Oberoi, MD & CEO of Info Edge (India), and Reddy will be replacing Dhruv Shringi, co-founder & CEO of Yatra Online Pvt Ltd – one of the key OTAs in India.

"The digital industry has reached an inflection point and is growing steadily. IAMAI, which has been working persistently towards the growth of the medium, is also growing. We plan to engage and interact more closely with the government to ensure that the online industry registers a balanced growth in the years to come and the internet user base widens," said Anandan while talking about his new role.

Anandan is also an active angel investor, backing startups in the internet and mobile space. Only recently, Hyderabad-based DocSuggest Healthcare Services Pvt Ltd, which enables patients to book appointments with hospitals and doctors through web or phone, raised an undisclosed amount from Anandan and Mumbai Angels' member Taher Khorakiwala.

Last year, too, Anandan, along with a few other investors, put in $600,000 in 24/7 Techies, a Sri Lanka-based computer support startup that provides technical support on the cloud.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)