OpenAI has appointed Kiran Mani as its Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. This newly created role underscores the company’s growing focus on expanding its presence across high-growth international markets.
According to reports, Mani will assume his new position in June and will be based in Singapore, operating out of OpenAI’s regional office. He will report to Jason Kwon.
This appointment comes at a time when OpenAI is accelerating its global expansion strategy, with a particular emphasis on Asia-Pacific. The region has emerged as a key growth engine, driven by increasing enterprise adoption and a rapidly expanding user base for artificial intelligence technologies.
OpenAI faces growing competition from major players such as Anthropic and Google, making regional leadership critical to scaling operations and deepening market penetration. Within APAC, India stands out as a strategic priority due to its vast digital ecosystem and population exceeding 1.4 billion.
Kiran Mani brings over 25 years of experience in building and scaling large-scale digital platforms across consumer technology, mobile ecosystems, cloud, and media streaming.
Prior to this appointment, he served as CEO of JioStar and previously led the digital business at Viacom18, where he played a key role in expanding streaming and digital media operations.
Earlier in his career, Mani held senior leadership roles at Google, where he worked as General Manager and Managing Director for Android and Google Play across Asia-Pacific and Japan. He has also worked with Microsoft and IBM, gaining extensive cross-regional experience spanning India, the United States and APAC markets.
Mani holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification with a specialization in economics, finance and analytics from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, where he was recognized as a National Merit Scholar.
He also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) from ICFAI Business School Hyderabad, graduating as a National Topper and Merit Scholar with a focus on business strategy, management and marketing.
Additionally, he was part of IBM Marketing Leadership Development Program (2006–2008), a prestigious initiative designed to groom future business leaders through global exposure and executive mentorship.
Over the past year, OpenAI has been steadily strengthening its footprint in India. In 2024, the company onboarded its first India-based employee focused on government relations and has since continued to expand its local team.
More recently, OpenAI announced a collaboration with Tata Group to develop artificial intelligence capabilities, including plans to build data centre infrastructure in the country.
The appointment of Kiran Mani adds a significant leadership layer to these ongoing efforts, signalling a more structured and strategic approach to regional growth across Asia-Pacific.
