OpenAI has appointed Sandhya Devanathan as Vice President, Southeast Asia and Australia, marking the creation of a new regional leadership role as the AI company expands its presence across the Asia-Pacific region.
Based in Singapore, Devanathan will oversee consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement and regional operations across Southeast Asia and Australia. Her mandate will involve supporting OpenAI’s regional expansion while working with consumers, businesses, partners and other stakeholders across the markets under her responsibility.
Devanathan brings more than two decades of experience spanning banking, payments and technology. Before joining OpenAI, she spent more than 10 years at Meta, where she held senior leadership positions across Singapore, Vietnam and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
At Meta, Devanathan led the company’s gaming business for APAC before taking on the role of Vice President and Head of India, and subsequently expanding her responsibilities to include India and Southeast Asia. Her experience at Meta gave her exposure to regional business operations, technology platforms, partnerships and market expansion across several major Asian markets.
Earlier in her career, Devanathan held senior positions at Citi and Standard Chartered, building her initial leadership experience in the banking and financial-services sectors. Her career across banking, payments and technology has given her experience working across both established financial institutions and large technology platforms.
Her appointment at OpenAI comes as the company continues to strengthen its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and expand the adoption of its AI technologies among consumers and enterprises. The newly created role brings together responsibilities covering growth, enterprise engagement, partnerships, regulatory matters and regional operations.
Based in Singapore, Devanathan will lead OpenAI’s activities across Southeast Asia and Australia, two markets that are increasingly important to the broader adoption of artificial intelligence. Her responsibilities will include supporting enterprise adoption and developing partnerships while engaging with regional stakeholders and regulators.
The move also represents a continuation of Devanathan’s leadership career in technology after her extensive tenure at Meta. Her experience managing businesses across India, Southeast Asia and APAC provides a regional perspective relevant to OpenAI’s expansion plans.
With Devanathan taking charge of the newly created position, OpenAI is adding dedicated senior leadership for Southeast Asia and Australia, covering both commercial growth and regional operations.
