Kenneth Bishop, managing director for Facebook in Southeast Asia, said that Indonesia is “an important country” driving the growth of Facebook and Instagram in the region.
“Wido's experience in the region and vision for Indonesia will help us strengthen our support for businesses,” he added.
The company shared December 2015 figures, which put the number of people using Facebook in Southeast Asia at 241 million.
Over the past year in Indonesia, Facebook has experienced double-digit growth, while Instagram recently announced that the community has grown to 22 million, a 100 percent increase from the previous year.
Based in Jakarta, Widowati will lead business efforts in the country, providing counsel and support to local and global brands and agencies.
In her role, she will focus on driving greater value and support for international and Indonesian businesses across several industries, such as e-commerce, consumer goods, financial services, and tech/telco.
Widowati said Indonesians on Facebook are a “highly engaged, mobile-first community” who want to connect with each other and businesses in meaningful ways.
“On Facebook, we are helping 82 million Indonesians, 94 percent through their mobiles, connect with the people and things that matter to them most,” she said. “I'm excited to return to Indonesia to help our partners tap into new opportunities that will empower them to innovate and grow their businesses.”
Widowati has nearly 20 years of experience in consumer goods marketing across Asia. She was most recently with Garnier, where she served as vice president and head of Garnier international marketing and development for ASEAN. Prior to that, she was with Unilever.