Samiran Gupta has joined Twitter as the new head of policy for India, and will lead the microblogging platform’s public policy and philanthropy efforts in India and South Asia, according to his Twitter page details.

Formally announcing Gupta’s arrival, Twitter’s Senior Director Public Policy & Philanthropy, APAC, Kathleen Reen tweeted: “Pleased to welcome @Samiran01 to @Twitter to lead our public @Policy & philanthropy efforts in India & S Asia. A deeply respected leader in public affairs & tech policy, we’re excited Samiran joins our journey toward an inclusive & open Internet that empowers public conversation.”

Gupta, who before this led initiatives of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in South Asia being based in New Delhi, is a jazz and blues music aficionado and had briefly tried his hand at music entrepreneurship too in the mid-2000s. For a brief while he was associated with global PR firm APCO Worldwide and IPTV Foundation.

“Thrilled to join Twitter to lead the Public Policy team’s work and engage with govt, NGOs, and partners in India & South Asia. Can’t wait to get started with the incredible Policy team and contribute towards an Internet that is a global force for good,” Gupta tweeted Thursday.

The last 18-24 months had been turbulent for Twitter with the company involved in a public spat with the Indian government over content on its platform and government-ordered takedowns, including fears of an arrest of the company’s top executive in India after police complaints were filed against him and Twitter in various States.

 Mahima Kaul, who earlier handled public policy for Twitter in India, quit early 2021 citing personal reasons. She had come to Twitter after spending years at a New Delhi-based private think-tank, the Observer Research Foundation.