Instagram gets new engineering, design chiefs

Nam Nguyen, who has been at Facebook since 2011, is now Instagram’s Head of Engineering. The design team will now be led by Luke Woods as the photo-messaging app’s longtime design chief Ian Spalter is moving to Japan to lead Instagram’s first office in that country.

Adam Mosseri, chief executive officer of Instagram Inc., speaks during the F8 Developers Conference in San Jose, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Facebook Inc. unveiled a redesign that focuses on the Groups feature of its main social network, doubling down on a successful but controversial part of its namesake app — and another sign that Facebook is moving toward more private, intimate communication. (Bloomberg)

Facebook-owned Instagram has quietly appointed new executives to head its design, engineering and communications teams, the media reported.

The new hires come at a time when CEO Mark Zuckerberg is working to more closely integrate Facebook's suite of apps, including Messenger and WhatsApp, video news network Cheddar reported on Friday.

Nam Nguyen, who has been at Facebook since 2011, is now Instagram's Head of Engineering. Nguyen fills the role left vacant by ex-engineering chief James Everingham who was earlier transferred to Facebook's secretive blockchain group.

The design team will now be led by Luke Woods as the photo-messaging app's longtime design chief Ian Spalter is moving to Japan to lead Instagram's first office in that country, said the Cheddar report published in Medium. Woods was previously head of design for the Facebook app.

Elisabeth Diana, who was previously a Facebook corporate communications executive, is Instagram's new communications chief. Diana replaces Kristina Schake, who left the company a couple of months ago for a role in politics.