OpenAI Welcomes Kiran Mani to Lead APAC Expansion | Leadership & Partnerships

March 25, 2026 Lucas Fernandez – World Editor World

OpenAI has appointed Kiran Mani, currently CEO of JioStar, as Managing Director for its Asia-Pacific operations, effective in June. The appointment, announced March 25, 2026, signals a significant expansion of OpenAI’s leadership team as it focuses on growth in the region, particularly in India.

Mani will relocate to Singapore to lead regional strategy and operations, reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon, according to a statement shared on LinkedIn by OpenAI Chief Sam Altman. Altman described Mani as a “thoughtful leader and a trusted friend,” highlighting his experience in building collaborations and scaling digital platforms.

JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries Ltd. And Walt Disney Co., operates the JioHotstar streaming platform, which boasts a subscriber base exceeding 300 million. Mani’s leadership at JioStar involved transforming the platform into a major destination for premium content, live sports, and digital experiences. Prior to JioStar, he held a role as CEO for Digital Ventures at Viacom18, where he led the transformation of JioCinema.

The move comes as OpenAI seeks to capitalize on the rapidly growing artificial intelligence market in Asia-Pacific. India is currently OpenAI’s second-largest global market by weekly users, with Japan and Indonesia similarly representing key areas of growth. Enterprise usage is also increasing, with Japan emerging as OpenAI’s largest market outside the US for ChatGPT business users, and India among the leading markets for Codex adoption.

OpenAI has been steadily increasing its presence in India, hiring its first employee in the country in 2024 – a head of government relations – and announcing a collaboration with the Tata Group in February to develop AI technologies and data center infrastructure. The appointment of Mani underscores this commitment to the region.

Mani brings 25 years of experience in developing and scaling multi-billion-dollar digital platforms and ecosystems, with expertise in consumer technology, mobile, cloud, and media streaming, according to his LinkedIn profile.