Kiran Mani Appointed Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan at OpenAI

OpenAI has appointed Kiran Mani as Managing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, entrusting him with leading the company's growth, partnerships, and regional strategy across one of the most dynamic technology markets in the world.

Announcing his new role, Kiran described the opportunity as the most purposeful mission of his career, highlighting artificial intelligence's potential to transform how people live, learn, create, and solve problems. He also emphasized the strong sense of purpose and humanity he encountered during conversations with OpenAI's leadership and teams across the organization.

Prior to joining OpenAI, Kiran held leadership positions at organizations including Ogilvy, IBM, Google, and JioStar, building extensive experience in scaling technology businesses and driving growth across the Asia-Pacific region.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment as AI moves from experimentation to becoming a foundational technology across industries, economies, and societies worldwide.

As Managing Director for Asia Pacific and Japan, Kiran will play a critical role in expanding OpenAI's presence across the region while helping organizations, governments, developers, and businesses harness the benefits of advanced AI technologies responsibly and effectively.

Asia Pacific has emerged as one of the most important growth markets for artificial intelligence adoption, with enterprises increasingly investing in AI-powered productivity, automation, customer engagement, and innovation initiatives. At the same time, governments across the region are actively shaping policies and frameworks to support responsible AI development and deployment.

Kiran's appointment reflects OpenAI's growing focus on regional expansion as demand for AI solutions continues to accelerate across APAC. His deep understanding of local markets, combined with decades of experience leading large-scale technology businesses, positions him to help strengthen OpenAI's engagement with customers, partners, and policymakers throughout the region.

As AI becomes more capable and accessible, regional leadership will play a crucial role in ensuring organizations can adopt these technologies in ways that deliver meaningful business and societal outcomes.

In his announcement, Kiran noted that a shared belief resonated throughout his conversations at OpenAI: as AI advances, it must also become more abundant, affordable, and useful for everyone. That vision aligns closely with the company's broader mission of ensuring AI benefits people around the world.

His leadership arrives at a time when organizations across APAC are increasingly looking to AI as a strategic capability that can drive productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage. OpenAI's continued investment in regional leadership underscores the importance of Asia Pacific and Japan in the future of global AI adoption.

 

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research and deployment company focused on developing advanced AI systems that benefit humanity. The organization develops and deploys AI technologies used by businesses, developers, governments, and individuals worldwide to enhance productivity, innovation, and problem-solving capabilities.