Meta APAC VP Dan Neary exits after a decade

Meta's vice president of Asia Pacific has stepped down from his role after over 12 years with the social media giant. In a LinkedIn post, Neary confirmed his exit, adding that he will be around for a few months to get a successor in place and ensure a smooth transition. 

Neary expressed his appreciation for Meta's leadership, especially Nicola Mendelsohn and Carolyn Everson. "I’m also deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from some of the most talented people in tech, both colleagues and partners. I've always believed that growth comes from surrounding yourself with intelligent people and embracing new challenges, and I've been fortunate to have experienced a lot of both at Meta," Neary said. 

Reflecting upon his time as VP of APAC, Neary said that Meta's business is built on helping other businesses grow and succeed on the platform, adding that the trust of businesses both large and small have taught Meta to innovate and lead the way on global trends such as live shopping or business messaging. 

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"It has been the ride of a lifetime on the Meta APAC rocket ship, and I’m proud of the team we built and what we were able to accomplish. It’s been such an honour to help our clients and partners grow using Meta’s products - which, in turn, is driving economies and improving people’s lives," said Neary. 

"As for what's next, after I hand over to my successor and spend some time with family, I’ll explore what the next phase of my life-adventure looks like. Thank you to everyone for being part of my journey at Meta," he added. 

Neary first assumed the role in 2013 after leaving his position of vice president and GM of global market development at Skype. Prior to that he was vice president, emerging markets at eBay, chief operating officer at Vendio Services and managing partner at McRand International.

According to his LinkedIn, he started his career at Kellog Company, first joining as a brand manager of kid's cereal for the US before taking on other roles such as head of marketing for Korea, regional marketing development manager for Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, marketing manager of frozen food for the US and general of Greater China.

Under Neary's leadership, Meta saw rapid expansion in the APAC region with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp becoming dominant platforms in many countries. According to a study by We Are Social and Meltwater earlier in February this year, Meta's Facebook potentially reached 2.28 billion users, with users spending an average of 17 hours and 17 minutes on the app. It is particularly more frequented in countries such as Philippines (23 hours and 34 minutes) and Vietnam (20 hours and 48 minutes).

Meanwhile, Meta's photo-sharing app Instagram saw an expected reach of 1.74 billion in the region. 

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