Meta’s India and Southeast Asia Head and Vice President Sandhya Devanathan announced parting ways from the social media giant after more than a decade with the company.
In a social media post on Friday, Devanathan said she had made a “bittersweet” decision to move on to her next chapter and would take a short break before sharing details about her next move.
Leadership Transition
Devanathan will be joining OpenAI’s operations in Southeast Asia and Australia, overseeing the ChatGPT maker’s consumer growth, enterprise adoption and partnerships, and operations and engagement with authorities. She will start her role in October 2026.
Benjamin Joe, Vice President, Asia Pacific at Meta, thanked Devanathan for her contributions and said Arun Srinivas, MD and Country Head, India at Meta would join his leadership team and build on the foundation to take Meta India forward.
Devanathan assumed the role of Vice President, Asia-Pacific, Gaming at Meta in 2020. In 2023, she took over as Meta’s India Vice President, and in 2025 expanded her scope to include Southeast Asia.
Reflecting on her tenure, Devanathan said she had worked across sectors including ecommerce and gaming in Asia-Pacific and led teams across India and Southeast Asia.
She said the company’s commitment to its clients had remained constant even as its team and products evolved.
Devanathan also highlighted the role Meta’s platforms have played in supporting businesses and users across the region, including the use of WhatsApp for government citizen services in India and the growth of small businesses in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
“I am extraordinarily proud of how they’ve shown up every day, doing the best work they can in an industry that is rapidly evolving,” she said, referring to the teams she worked with.
Devanathan began her Meta journey when the company had about 300 employees in Singapore, she said. Over the years, she worked with startups, businesses, creators and ecosystem partners across the region.
“More than anything, I will miss the people,” she said, thanking her teams, businesses, ecosystem partners, non-profits and creators for their partnership.