New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS): Facebook on Friday hired Avinash Pant as Marketing Director for its India operations who will report to Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India.

The role of Marketing Director is a new one at Facebook India, with the mandate to drive the company's consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the company said in a statement.

"Consumer marketing is a new strategic area of focus for Facebook and one where we will dramatically increase our investment in communicating directly," said Mohan.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Pant has earlier worked with leading consumer brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, The Walt Disney Company, and most recently, Red Bull.

Facebook has announced a new leadership structure in India, bringing the company's functions under Ajit Mohan who reports directly to its headquarters in Menlo Park.

Over the last year, the company has spearheaded several India-focused initiatives with a particular focus on fuelling entrepreneurship and breaking the gender imbalance on the Internet.

Last year, Facebook also made its first minority investment in a company, Meesho, a social-commerce venture empowering first-time entrepreneurs, especially women in small towns.

The company also announced a tie-up with the government's Common Services Centre (CSC) to provide tools and training to more than 25,000 women in 3,000 villages across the country.

"We've been working towards deepening our mission to build empowered communities, form stronger local partnerships, create economic opportunities for SMBs and entrepreneurs to grow in India," said Mohan.

In the last few months, Facebook has recruited for key roles across multiple functions such as Marketing, Sales, Partnerships, and Policy.

"Teams at Facebook are focused on channeling that energy to be an ally to India in its exciting journey of transformation and growth," said Mohan.