Technology and Science28 August, 20262 min read
OpenAI Hires Meta Vice President Sandhya Devanathan to Lead Southeast Asia and Australia Growth
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Sandhya Devanathan to lead OpenAI's newly created Southeast Asia and Australia growth hub in Singapore. She will oversee consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, and regulatory engagement across the region.
OpenAI hires Devanathan
OpenAI is expanding its Asia-Pacific push by hiring Sandhya Devanathan, a Meta vice president for India and Southeast Asia, to lead consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, operations, and regulatory engagement across Southeast Asia and Australia. TechCrunch said Devanathan will be based in Singapore and report to OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director, Kiran Mani, as she leaves Meta after more than a decade.
“Devanathan will be based in Singapore and report to OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director, Kiran Mani.”
The Economic Times framed the move as part of “Recent Indian executive moves at OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta & other tech majors,” highlighting how global firms deepen their focus on India and its diaspora for talent. AI Insider added that OpenAI’s expansion includes ads on ChatGPT’s Free and Go tiers in India, starting with 50 brands through partnerships with WPP and Omnicom, and that Dave Dugan, OpenAI’s head of global ads solutions, described the feature as reaching users at “relevant, high-context decision-making moments.”
Meta scrutiny in India
Devanathan’s departure lands as Meta faces mounting scrutiny in India over online safety and content moderation, with TechCrunch describing the company’s growing pressure from Indian authorities in recent weeks. TechCrunch reported that Meta apologized after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, and that the Indian government summoned Meta executives, including its chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, over the incident.
The Economic Times did not detail the Modi episode, but it did place Devanathan’s move alongside other senior Indian appointments at major AI and technology companies as firms “deepen their focus on the country and its diaspora for talent.” TechCrunch also said New Delhi raised concerns over child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms, and that last month the Indian government sought an explanation after a BBC report found Instagram advertisements that allegedly offered access to such content.
Ads, user growth, and offices
OpenAI’s India push is paired with a broader regional staffing plan, with AI Insider saying the company reported exceeding 100 million weekly active users in February and previously launched a discounted ChatGPT Go tier and offered a year of free access to build its user base there. AI Insider said OpenAI’s ads expansion in India will begin showing on ChatGPT’s Free and Go tiers starting with 50 brands through partnerships with WPP and Omnicom, and that an ad manager is launching next month for marketers meeting a daily minimum budget requirement.
The Economic Times described Devanathan’s new role as vice president for Southeast Asia and Australia, while also noting she is leaving Meta after more than 10 years to join OpenAI. TechCrunch added that OpenAI has been expanding its presence across the Asia Pacific, opening offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi over the past two years, and that following Devanathan’s departure Meta’s India managing director, Arun Srinivas, will report directly to Benjamin Joe.