Meta India Head Sandhya Devanathan to Join OpenAI in Regional Leadership Role
Meta vice-president and India head Sandhya Devanathan has decided to step down from the company after nearly a decade of service. She is set to join artificial intelligence firm OpenAI in a newly created regional position overseeing operations across Southeast Asia and Australia.
What Happened
Sandhya Devanathan, who has served as Meta’s India head since 2023, announced her departure from the social media company through a LinkedIn post. She will transition to OpenAI as vice-president for Southeast Asia and Australia, operating out of Singapore.
In her new position at OpenAI, Devanathan will report directly to Kiran Mani, the managing director for the company’s Asia-Pacific division. Her mandate will encompass managing consumer growth, driving enterprise adoption, building strategic partnerships, overseeing regional operations, and handling regulatory engagement across both Southeast Asia and Australia.
Devanathan brings over 25 years of industry experience across banking, payments, and technology sectors. She initially joined Meta in 2016, a period when the company had approximately 300 employees based in Singapore. During her tenure, she helped build Meta’s business teams in Singapore and Vietnam, led e-commerce initiatives across Southeast Asia, and in 2020 transitioned to head the Gaming vertical for the Asia-Pacific region before her appointment as India head in 2023.
Key Highlights
- Sandhya Devanathan has left Meta after joining in 2016 and serving as India head since 2023.
- She will assume the newly established role of vice-president for Southeast Asia and Australia at OpenAI.
- The role is based in Singapore, reporting to OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director, Kiran Mani.
- Her responsibilities include regulatory engagement, partnerships, operations, consumer growth, and enterprise adoption.
- At Meta, Arun Srinivas, managing director and country head, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, vice-president of Asia Pacific.
Why This Matters
Devanathan’s move represents a major senior executive transition from an established social media conglomerate to an expanding artificial intelligence enterprise in the Asia-Pacific market. Her appointment establishes dedicated executive leadership for OpenAI across Southeast Asia and Australia, covering regulatory, operational, and commercial enterprise fronts from Singapore.
Internally at Meta, the leadership departure triggers an immediate realignment in regional reporting lines. Arun Srinivas, managing director and country head at Meta, previously reported directly to Devanathan. Moving forward, Srinivas will report to Benjamin Joe, Meta’s vice-president of Asia Pacific, who noted Devanathan’s lasting impact, dedication, and drive during her tenure.
What to Watch Next
Following this announcement, key operational developments will focus on Devanathan assuming her duties in Singapore to spearhead OpenAI’s regulatory engagement and enterprise partnerships across Australia and Southeast Asia. Concurrently, observers will monitor the updated organizational structure at Meta as Arun Srinivas begins reporting directly to regional leadership under Benjamin Joe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new position will Sandhya Devanathan hold at OpenAI?
Sandhya Devanathan will serve as vice-president for Southeast Asia and Australia at OpenAI, a newly created role based in Singapore.
Who will Devanathan report to at OpenAI?
She will report to Kiran Mani, who serves as OpenAI’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region.
What previous roles did Sandhya Devanathan hold at Meta?
Devanathan joined Meta in 2016, working on businesses in Singapore, Vietnam, and Southeast Asian e-commerce initiatives. In 2020, she led Gaming for APAC, and in 2023, she was named Meta’s vice-president and India head.
How does her departure change Meta’s management structure?
Arun Srinivas, managing director and country head at Meta, who previously reported to Devanathan, will now report directly to Meta’s vice-president of Asia Pacific, Benjamin Joe.
Source: Business Standard