Sandhya Devanathan, Meta's India and Southeast Asia chief, joins OpenAI
What's the story
Meta's Vice President and Head of India and Southeast Asia, Sandhya Devanathan, has announced her resignation from the company after a decade-long association. The decision was shared in a LinkedIn post where she described it as a "bittersweet decision." Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 for its Singapore operations when the company had just about 300 employees in the country.
Career progression
Devanathan recalls her journey at Meta
Devanathan's tenure at Meta coincided with a major push for digital transformation across businesses in the Asia-Pacific region.
She recalled how, "The landscape looked so different in 2016 - everyone was talking about digital transformation. And we were right in the midst of it - helping start-ups, companies, creators and the ecosystem grow across the region while delivering great experiences for our hundreds of millions of our users."
Regional impact
Devanathan's leadership in India
In January 2023, Devanathan was named the Vice President of Meta India after Ajit Mohan's exit. She was instrumental in the company's growth in India, its largest user base with over a billion users.
In June 2025, she took on additional responsibilities for Meta's Southeast Asia business and moved to Singapore.
A month later, Arun Srinivas was appointed as Managing Director and head of India operations.
New role
Devanathan has now joined OpenAI
Before her role in India, Devanathan was instrumental in building Meta's businesses and teams in Singapore and Vietnam.
She also helped build the company's e-commerce efforts across Southeast Asia.
Her LinkedIn post highlighted her journey across sectors like e-commerce and gaming in APAC, where she led talented teams across India and Southeast Asia.
Devanathan has now joined OpenAI to oversee operations in Southeast Asia and Australia. She begins in October.