After a decade at Meta, Sandhya Devanathan to lead OpenAI's Southeast Asia, Australia growth

Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President and Head of India and Southeast Asia at Meta, is leaving the social media company after more than a decade to join OpenAI as Vice President for Southeast Asia and Australia.

OpenAI confirmed the appointment, stating that Devanathan will be its most senior leader in the region. She will be based in Singapore and report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI's Managing Director for Asia Pacific. The joining date has not been announced.

In this newly created role, Devanathan will be responsible for consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia. The appointment is part of OpenAI's broader push to strengthen its presence in the Asia Pacific region.

Devanathan brings more than 25 years of experience in technology and financial services. She joined Meta in 2016 and held several leadership roles, including heading the Asia Pacific gaming business and leading the company's expansion in Singapore and Vietnam. At Meta, she also oversaw operations in India, one of the company's largest markets.

Her exit comes as OpenAI continues to expand its footprint in the region. Over the past two years, the company has opened offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi. It has also built a regional leadership team, with Kiran Mani as Managing Director for APAC and Prabhjeet Singh as Managing Director for India, appointed in June this year.

OpenAI has been investing in India, focusing on partnerships with enterprises and developers, while engaging with policymakers. The company opened its first office in New Delhi in November 2025. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has described India as a key market and praised the country's rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.

In an emotional LinkedIn post, Devanathan described her decision to leave Meta as "bittersweet" and said she would take a short break before beginning her "next exciting chapter". She did not reveal her new role in the post, but OpenAI later confirmed it.

She highlighted Meta's work in the region, including government citizen services via WhatsApp in India and helping small businesses in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand set up online storefronts. "I joined Meta when we had just about 300 employees in Singapore," she wrote. "We were right in the midst of it - helping startups, companies, creators and the ecosystem grow across the region while delivering great experiences for hundreds of millions of our users."

Devanathan thanked her teams and partners, saying, "I am extraordinarily proud of how they've shown up every day, doing the best work they can." She also noted her work across ecommerce and gaming in Asia Pacific and leading talented teams in India and Southeast Asia.

Her move underscores OpenAI's focus on Southeast Asia and Australia, where demand for AI tools is growing among consumers, enterprises, and developers. Devanathan's experience in these markets is expected to support OpenAI's regional strategy. The company has not yet announced when she will assume her new responsibilities.