Meta India and Southeast Asia VP Sandhya Devanathan to step down after over a decade

Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s Vice President for India and Southeast Asia, is stepping down from the company after more than a decade. She joined Meta in 2016 and has held several leadership roles across its businesses in Asia-Pacific.

Devanathan is set to join OpenAI after a short break and will start her new role in October 2026, according to Bloomberg. She will lead OpenAI’s operations in Southeast Asia and Australia, with responsibility for consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, and engagement with authorities.

Devanathan took over as Meta India’s Vice President in 2023 and later added responsibility for Southeast Asia. She relocated to Singapore in June 2025 after taking charge of the wider region. Arun Srinivas was appointed Managing Director and head of India operations in July 2025.

Sandhya Devanathan’s Meta exit and career in India, Southeast Asia

Devanathan joined Meta when the company had about 300 employees in Singapore. Before taking on the India leadership role, she helped build Meta’s businesses and teams in Singapore and Vietnam and worked on its e-commerce initiatives across Southeast Asia. She also led gaming for APAC, one of Meta’s largest global verticals. In a LinkedIn post announcing her departure, Devanathan said the decision to leave Meta after more than a decade was "bittersweet".

"After more than a decade at Meta, I’ve made the bittersweet decision to move on to my next adventure. Saying goodbye to this incredible company and my amazing colleagues has been really difficult, but I leave with a heart full of gratitude and excitement about what lies ahead."

Reflecting on her time at Meta, she said the company had changed considerably since she joined in 2016, when digital transformation was a major focus for businesses across the region. "I joined Meta when we had just about 300 employees in Singapore. The landscape looked so different in 2016 - everyone was talking about digital transformation. And we were right in the midst of it - helping startups, companies, creators and the ecosystem grow across the region while delivering great experiences for our hundreds of millions of our users."

"While the team has grown and our products have evolved, our unwavering commitment to delivering the best for our clients has remained constant. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working across sectors like ecommerce and gaming in APAC, and leading talented teams across India and Southeast Asia. Throughout this journey, I’ve been fueled by the belief that our work brings meaningful connections to people and businesses worldwide." Devanathan also highlighted some of the work carried out by her teams across India and Southeast Asia, including Meta’s role in helping businesses and startups grow across the region.

"It's been an emotional day. I shared with my teams today that I am extraordinarily proud of how they've shown up everyday, doing the best work they can in an industry that is rapidly evolving. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together - be the millions of people using government citizen services on WA in India or the millions of small businesses in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand who opened their storefronts on our apps or helping startups become unicorns in Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines….the stories are many and I am incredibly proud of everything we’ve built together."

Devanathan also said she would take a short break before moving on to her next chapter. Her next role at OpenAI is expected to begin in October. Before Meta, Devanathan worked at Standard Chartered Bank and Citi. Her career spans banking, payments and technology, with more than two decades of professional experience.