- Sandhya Devanathan has been hired by OpenAI to lead its Southeast Asia and Australia operations as the company expands in the Asia Pacific region.
- In her new role, Devanathan will be OpenAI's most senior leader in the region, responsible for consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations.
- OpenAI has confirmed her appointment, and she will be based in Singapore.
- Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and held various leadership roles, including leading the Gaming business for Asia Pacific.
- In 2022, she was named Vice President and Head of Meta India, overseeing key growth businesses.
- Devanathan described her departure from Meta as 'bittersweet' and plans to take a break before her next career move.
Sandhya Devanathan, who has over 25 years of experience in technology and financial services, steps down from her role at Meta after more than a decade. She announced her departure in a LinkedIn post, calling the decision "bittersweet" and expressing gratitude to her colleagues.14
In her new position at OpenAI, Devanathan will be based in Singapore and report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s managing director for the Asia Pacific region. Her responsibilities will include driving AI adoption across consumers, businesses, and government bodies, as well as building partnerships to enhance OpenAI's presence in the region.3
OpenAI's expansion comes amid increasing competition, with rival Anthropic also aggressively establishing a foothold in Asia. Over the past two years, OpenAI has opened local offices in major cities including Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi. Devanathan's appointment is part of this strategic growth, as the company aims to capitalize on the rising demand for AI solutions across the Asia Pacific.
Devanathan joined Meta in 2016, initially focusing on the company's operations in Singapore and Vietnam. She later led Meta's Gaming business for Asia Pacific and was named Vice President and Head of Meta India in 2022, aligning the company's priorities in a key growth market. No successor has been announced following her departure.5
“Devanathan, who has over 25 years of experience, will be based in Singapore and report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI's managing director for Asia Pacific. Her exit from Meta follows a decade-long tenure that included leading its gaming business for the region and serving as executive sponsor for Women@APAC.”
People Matters - HR News
