- Sandhya Devanathan is leaving Meta after more than a decade to join OpenAI, where she will oversee consumer growth and partnerships across Southeast Asia and Australia.
- Devanathan will be based in Singapore and report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director.
- In her new role, she will oversee enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations in the region.
- Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and held several leadership roles, including leading its Asia Pacific gaming business.
- In 2022, she was named Vice President of Meta India and later appointed vice president for India and Southeast Asia.
- Meta has faced growing scrutiny from Indian authorities, including a summons over an Instagram post by Prime Minister Modi and concerns over child safety.
OpenAI has hired Sandhya Devanathan, a former Meta executive, to spearhead its growth in Southeast Asia and Australia. Devanathan, who has over two decades of experience, will be based in Singapore and report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director.12478
Devanathan's role will encompass overseeing consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations across the region. She joined Meta in 2016 and held various leadership positions, including vice president for India and Southeast Asia, where she focused on business and revenue priorities.3
Her departure comes amid increasing scrutiny of Meta in India, particularly regarding online safety and content moderation. Recently, the Indian government summoned Meta executives over a post mistakenly restricted by Instagram that involved Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meta has faced pressure from Indian authorities concerning child sexual abuse material on its platforms, leading to the removal of 160,000 accounts in India over six months.
Reflecting on her time at Meta, Devanathan expressed gratitude for her experiences, stating, “I leave with a heart full of gratitude and excitement about what lies ahead.” She emphasized her commitment to fostering meaningful connections through her work in the tech industry.
OpenAI's expansion in the Asia-Pacific region has been significant, with operations in cities like Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi over the past two years.
“Devanathan, who spent over a decade at Meta, will be based in Singapore and report to OpenAI's Asia-Pacific managing director Kiran Mani. Her move comes as Meta faces pressure from Indian authorities, including a summons over an Instagram post by PM Modi and removal of 160,000 accounts for child-exploitative activity.”
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