While WhatsApp has appointed GoPlay’s ex-boss Calvin Kizana as its first head of Indonesia, PayMongo co-founder and CEO Francis Plaza will be stepping down over allegations of misconduct.
Calvin Kizana named WhatsApp’s Indonesia head
WhatsApp has appointed Calvin Kizana, who was the former chief operating officer at Gojek’s live-streaming arm GoPlay, as its Indonesia head. This is the first time WhatsApp has appointed a person to head the region, indicating the communication giant’s growing focus on this market.
Kizana started his career at Indonesian internet group Batavianet as its chief technology officer. He then worked with Singapore’s inTouch Wireless Services and Colorado-based eonBusiness, among other entities, before founding his own ventures.
As a serial entrepreneur, Kizana first founded IT firm Elasitas Technologies, which provided software solutions for telecom and mobile companies, in 2002.
Then in 2012, he founded two startups — live-streaming platform Playday and social media platform PicMix. He also co-founded Project Eden, an Indonesian pre-seed investment company.
“As a successful entrepreneur, Calvin knows what it takes to build meaningful partnerships that deliver real value to society,” said Victoria Grand, deputy director of global affairs and strategic markets at WhatsApp.
Isabel Ridad to take over as PayMongo CEO
Filipino fintech firm PayMongo on Monday said its CEO Francis Plaza will step down and COO Isabel Ridad will take over. Earlier this month, Isabel was appointed as acting CEO after allegations of misconduct by Plaza surfaced.
The company said Plaza will step down to “pursue other ventures” and the move will be effective November 30, 2022. Plaza went on a voluntary leave of absence in August amid an investigation into allegations that he had harassed an employee.
Ridad then took over and has been officially serving in this role since November 10, said the company. She joined the company in 2021 as its chief of staff and has previously held senior positions at Standard Chartered, MUFG, Asian Development Bank, and Societe Generale.
On Twitter, Plaza said he would “transition to serve as an advisor to the board of the company and related firms.” He also termed the decision as “hard and personal” and pointed to his success in growing a team of eight in 2019 to a company of more than 220 in 2022. “We grew 40X in our first year and we are continuing our reach to serve tens of thousands of Filipino businesses,” he said.
PayMongo has seen major changes in its leadership in the last few years, with two of its four co-founders — Edwin Lacierda and Luis Sia — also leaving.