OpenAI names most senior Australian and SEA leader as APAC expansion accelerates

OpenAI has appointed former Meta executive Sandhya Devanathan as vice president for Australia and Southeast Asia, giving the company its most senior leader as it accelerates its expansion across Asia Pacific.

Devanathan will be based in Singapore and report to OpenAI managing director for APAC Kiran Mani.

The newly created role puts her in charge of OpenAI’s performance across Australia and Southeast Asia, with a broad remit spanning consumer growth, enterprise adoption and partnerships, regulatory engagement and operations.

She will also focus on building partnerships across the wider AI ecosystem and increasing adoption among businesses, institutions, governments and consumers.

The appointment marks another step in OpenAI’s rapid build-out across the region.

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Over the past two years, the company has opened offices in Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Delhi while adding senior regional leadership as demand for generative AI grows among consumers and enterprises.

OpenAI opened its Sydney office as part of its wider APAC expansion, while Australian businesses have increasingly experimented with generative AI across marketing, customer service, productivity and enterprise operations.

Devanathan brings more than 25 years of experience across technology and financial services and most recently served as Meta’s vice president for India and Southeast Asia.

She joined Meta in 2016 and held a number of senior regional roles, including leading its Asia Pacific gaming business and helping expand the company’s operations in Singapore and Vietnam.

Her move also represents a significant executive shift between two of the world’s most influential technology companies at a time when AI is becoming an increasingly important battleground across advertising, commerce, enterprise software and consumer platforms.

OpenAI said the appointment reflects growing demand for its tools among consumers, developers and businesses across APAC.

The company has been steadily building out its regional leadership structure alongside its office expansion.

Kiran Mani was recently appointed managing director for APAC, while former Uber executive Prabhjeet Singh was named to lead OpenAI’s India business.

Devanathan is expected to begin the role in October.